Crisis Core (Revised)
Chapter 2: An Angel's Dream
Honor is Pride… Pride is Honor…

His eyes stared at the ground beneath him, half-closed yet brows narrowed. "Man, what is with Itachi? How long is he gonna slack off like this? It's been a month now…" he shut his eyes tight, his hands forming a fist as he clenched them. "Madara's got it all wrong too! Lumping Itachi together with Gaara…" he sighed. "Gaara is a deserter who took a bunch of 2nds and 3rds with him! He used the copies to attack us! Itachi would never condone something like that! He valued his SOLDIER honor more than anyone else! Ugh! Everything's so messed up these days! Itachi! Just come back, please!"

Sasuke sighed frustratingly and got up, about to go do some squats when his phone started to ring. Checking the caller ID, he wondered who it was, since only an unknown number appeared on the screen. "May as well answer it…" he said to himself.

"Hello?"

"…SOLDIER second class Sasuke."

"That would be me. Who is this?"

"Director Kakashi wants to see you. Go to the briefing room."

"Hey, wait!" he got hung up. "Who was that..?" he trailed off, eyeing his phone for a while before shrugging and making his way towards the briefing room.

"Director." He greeted. "Any word on Itachi?"

A shake of the head answered him. "He hasn't contacted his family either..."

Sasuke sighed and turned back to Kakashi. "So what's this about?"

"A new assignment," Kakashi said. "I want you to go to the hometown of our missing SOLDIER first class, Gaara." he paused. "According to the parents, they've had no contact with Gaara whatsoever, but they can't be trusted."

"Why?"

"They're his family."

"Hmm… Mm-hmm…" Sasuke walked around a bit, scratching the back of his head.

"I had already dispatched some staff, but we've lost contact. I want you to go and investigate." He turned to the person who just entered. "He will go with you."

Sasuke eyed the man who approached him.

"Neji of the Turks."

"This job is looking really gloomy…"

Neji chose to ignore that. "Let me know when you're ready to go."

"I already am…" Sasuke said, turning away. "Damn it, I just want to know what happened to aniki…"

Neji sighed a bit and shook his head. "Pleasure to be working with you…"

"It's just an investigation right? Should be easy…"

"I doubt it," Neji murmured. "Madara was supposed to be the one to do this."

"And why not him?"

"He refused it."

"Tch. They spoil him too much."

Neji gave an amused smirk. "Why don't you say that to his face?"

"Ah… no thanks."

The helicopter dropped them off at Banora village, where Sasuke started gazing at the trees that seemed strange to his eyes.

"Weird…" he murmured.

"They're White Banora trees, otherwise known as Dumb Apples."

"…Banora? That means…" he trailed off for a bit before turning to Neji. "We're in Itachi's hometown..?"

"Yes. Gaara and Itachi are childhood friends, it seems."

"Huh…" the two turned their attention when Gaara clones ambushed them. "Tch. These guys are the same from before." He drew out his sword and rushed on to attack and eliminates the enemy, not even breaking a sweat.

Neji approached the fallen clones. "Looks like they're here too," his eyes narrowed as he stared far off at where the village was located. "The safety of the villagers concerns me; it's possible that these clones took them as hostages. With weapons of mass destruction, we'll get rid of Genesis and his accomplices. It's what the President plans to do, so it would be best if we were to move quickly."

"Hn, leave it to me."

Sasuke started to jog, following the trail that would lead to the village, but was stopped by Gaara clones and a spider-like robot that fired a missile at him. He raised his sword and sliced it in half, smirking as he looked at his enemies.

"Tch. Thunder should be enough to weaken this thing, the clones aren't that hard to deal with anyway." He prepared himself for battle before running towards his opponents, casting a thunder attack at the robot a couple of times before swinging down his blade at the two clones. The robot tackled him from behind, so he quickly rolled over to avoid any other fatal attack. "Damn." He cursed, closing his eyes to focus before opening them again.

"Chain Slash." he shifted his sword for a proper grip. "Here we go." He rushed and attacked, slashing continuously at the robot until it finally stopped moving and turned to heaps on the ground, static surrounding the destroyed parts. "Gaara copies, huh?" he eyed the clones he defeated earlier.

"Where did you here that?"

Sasuke turned to Neji to see him walking towards him. "Madara said it."

"Hm." Neji looked at the machine. "The technology was stolen from our scientists."

"Huh?!"

"It apparently allows Gaara's abilities and traits to be transplanted... to SOLDIER members and monsters."

"SOLDIER and monsters… we're the same..?"

"Anyway, come on." He followed Neji towards a house. "This is Gaara's home. His parents were wealthy landowners."

Sasuke recalled what Itachi had said to him.

"But I never stole from that tree, because the wealthy man's son was my friend."

"They weren't mere acquaintances." Neji added. "They grew up together, and were best friends."

"In other words," Sasuke eyed Neji. "Gaara deserts and gets his best friend, Itachi, to join him, is that it?"

"Madara believes that's the case." He inspected some rocks under a tree. "A gravestone, still very new." He turned back to Sasuke. "Sasuke, go find Itachi's house, I'll check the grave." He went to kneel before the rocks for inspection. Sasuke eyed Neji. "Ugh. So Turks always do this stuff?"

"Someone has to do it."

"Must be rough…"

"Don't worry," he smirked. "We're paid much better than you are."

"No way!"

With a nod from the Turk, Sasuke sighed and sprinted towards the village, stopping upon reaching the place. "Hmm…" he inspected each and every house, not finding any clue from the outside which one was Itachi's home. "Looks like I'll have to knock on every door." He murmured, approaching one house. No one seemed to be around too, and if ever he would attempt to open an unlocked door, a monster would come out, and if he would approach another house, clones would attack.

"Geez. This has got to be it." He said, already sick and tired as he walked towards the house, leaving behind the pile of destroyed robots, defeated monsters and passed out clones. "Hello?" he called, knocking. When no one answered, he opened the door, seeing an elderly woman seated on a chair in the dining area.

"Can I help you?"

"Uh… um… greetings, ma'am." He paused then continued. "Are you… Itachi's mother?" she didn't respond for a while, so Sasuke continued. "My name's Sasuke…" he introduced himself, hoping the woman would respond. She didn't for a moment, then turned to face him. "Are you Sasuke, the puppy?"

"…" he twitched a bit. "That Itachi…" he mused. "Excuse me?"

She laughed lightly. "My son wrote to me once about you. Zero attention span, restless as a little puppy." And she continued to laugh. He frowned for a moment, but couldn't help but find Itachi's mother's laugh quite warm and comforting. "Huh… thanks Itachi…" he said in a sarcastic voice, crossing his arms and giving out a sigh.

"You're not… here together with Gaara, are you?"

"No, I'm not. Don't worry."

"What is happening with my son?"

"I'm not really sure."

"Gaara came back here, a month ago, with some comrades. And they proceeded to take the lives of many townspeople."

He was shocked to hear that.

"Gaara… he used to be such a good boy."

"Is Itachi..?" he asked, but couldn't finish.

"He came here, but he left his sword and went off somewhere."

Sasuke turned to the Buster sword that was leaning against the wall. He approached it, and indeed, it was Itachi's sword.

"That sword represents our family's honor." The woman explained.

"I see… no wonder." He smiled a bit. "He never uses this sword, really… ever." Sasuke walked towards her and knelt down on one knee beside her, giving a reassuring smile. "I'll take care of Itachi. You should go and hide somewhere."

She eyed him for a moment and shook her head. "Don't be concerned. Gaara cannot harm me."

"Hm…" he got up and eyed the Buster sword before taking his leave. "Please…" he stopped himself from exiting when Itachi's mother spoke. "Be a good friend to my son."

He gave a nod, then proceeded to leave. "Itachi, where did you go..?" he stepped out and heard a noise from the side. "What..?" he turned and spotted clones once again. "Tch." He charged and eliminated them. Afterwards, his phone rang, so he took it out, answering Neji's call.

"There's a factory on the outskirts of town, I saw a copy go inside."

"You think that's their HQ?"

"Most likely," he sighed. "I'm currently on a cliff overlooking the factory. A frontal attack is inadvisable. We'll go in from above. Come to the cliff top immediately."

"Got it."

He checked the area, looked back at where Itachi's mom was before heading towards the cliff, where he was met by another group of monsters and machines. Sighing, he rushed head on, not wasting much time in killing them before proceeding to the cliff, where Neji glanced behind him while still crouching, spotting wrecked machines and fallen monsters behind Sasuke as he approached.

"Hm. Made new friends?" Neji asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, but they were bad company." Sasuke answered, getting the sarcasm, which reminded him of Itachi once more. "Heh. Hadn't had much sarcastic conversations since he disappeared." He approached Neji and crouched down as well.

"Gaara's parents were in that grave."

"Wait, he… his own family?!"

"We can't expect reason from him." Neji continued, then turned back to Sasuke. "What about Itachi?"

"He wasn't home…" he turned back to Neji. "But please, give me time. If I find him, I can talk to him." He didn't stop. "If I can convince Itachi, maybe Gaara will come back too."

Neji smirked and faced Sasuke. "I understand now why Madara chose you."

"Huh?"

"Gaara and Itachi… those two were Madara's only friends." He paused. "He didn't want to fight them. That's why he refused the mission."

"Well, Itachi's my friend too, he's like a brother to me."

"He's counting on you to bring them both back."

Sasuke sighed.

"Time is short." Neji said. "Let's go."

With a nod, Sasuke broke in by jumping from the cliff and breaking through the window. "Infiltration successful." He announced, quickly looking to his left when clones came running. Neji jumped in after and turned to Sasuke. "Go on ahead, I'll take care of things here." He finished instantly as soon as Neji ran ahead. He looked around, checking to see if there were any enemies left.

"Sasuke, this way." He looked over the railing and spotted Neji. "Watch out for enemies on the way." He warned. With a nod, he took off, and Sasuke followed shortly. They reached the lower floor and Neji approached the computer to try and get some information regarding the clones. Meanwhile, Sasuke decides to check the door nearby and head upstairs, wherein a voice he has never heard of before spoke.

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess. We seek it thus and take to the sky. Ripples form on the water's surface. The wandering soul knows no rest."

Sasuke eyes the seated figure, finding none other than Gaara, who gave a smirk and pocketed the book. "Settle down…" he spoke, staring at him, the amused smirk still on his lips. "Sasuke the puppy."

He twitched, and Neji came in soon, spotting a nearby tank thing. He peeked inside the clear glass and saw a clone. "The graves at the house…" he mused, and turned to Gaara. "We found the remains of our people there as well."

"It didn't take much to have them send false reports," Gaara said. "Just some mild threats…"

"They would have done that anyway," Sasuke argued. "At least your parents would have."

"My parents betrayed me…" Gaara said. "They had always betrayed me from the very beginning." He glared at them. "What do you know..?" he made a move to cast a fire attack. "Shinra lapdogs!" and directed the attack at Neji who was taken aback by it. Sasuke readies himself for battle, but was shocked instead when Itachi appeared in front of him and took Sasuke's sword.

"Welcome partner…" Gaara greeted with open arms. Itachi only pointed Sasuke's sword at Gaara. "Huh…" Gaara placed his arms down. "I see, you've finally made your decision. I'll respect your wishes old friend, however…" he approached and stopped beside Itachi. "Can you really live on that side?"

Itachi made a move to follow, but Sasuke tried to stop him, but only got pushed back. "Itachi!" he called. The older SOLDIER only stabbed the ground with Sasuke's sword, made one eye contact with the younger SOLDIER and turned to leave. Sasuke, not wanting to lose his brother figure again, took his sword and ran after him. Upon stepping out, he was greeted by two monsters.

"Damn it." He made a move to attack, but Neji beat him to it by shooting them down. "There's no time, we have to leave now."

"We're not gonna look for those two?"

"All evidence of misconduct must be erased. Company rules..." He said. "An air strike will neutralize this town." They turned as two more monsters appeared. "Are you sure that nobody is at Itachi's house?"

"…"

"Hurry." Neji said, understanding what Sasuke meant even without saying anything as he covered him.

Sasuke was getting close to the village when Neji called, informing him that Gaara and his men had begun bombarding the town.

"Are you serious?!"

"Yes. You can stop the bombs by slicing them, should be easy for you."

"You got it." He hung up and turned around, taking out his sword as he readied himself. He listened to the buzzing sound of the bomb, and with proper timing, managed to get rid of it, as well as the other upcoming ones. He took his phone out once more and answered the caller.

"I managed to buy us some time, hurry and get whoever is in Itachi's house out. You have until then."

"Alright." Sasuke rushed back to Itachi's place and entered the front door, only to be greeted by the old woman he met earlier lying on the floor, dead.

He didn't know how to react to that, he just stared, wide eyed, at the dead woman, who seemed so innocent and had nothing to do with this. He didn't know how to react at all – whether to be angry, or to cry, he had no idea. And he only met her a while ago…

"…Why..?" he said, barely above a whisper, turning to see Itachi standing a few feet away from him, holding onto his buster sword. With his fists clenched, he grabbed Itachi by the collar and slammed him against the wall. "What the hell did you do Itachi?!" he pulled him and slammed him again, against the door, and followed it up with a punch, which caused Itachi to stumble outside his house. "Is that…" Sasuke drew in a breath. "Is that your idea of honor?!" he was too angry and too pained to see the elder woman dead, worse is, his brother figure, the woman's son, was responsible for her death.

Itachi shook his head a bit and sat up. "My mother…" he spoke, his voice sounding a bit hoarse. "Could not continue to live. And neither can the son."

"What're you talking about?! What's going on here?!"

"I told you…" Sasuke turned to see Gaara. "You can't live on that side anymore."

The second class SOLDIER turned to his mentor to see him strap his sword behind him and walk away. "Itachi!" he chased after him, but Gaara tripped him with his foot, causing the teen to stumble on the ground. "Ugh… Itachi!" he called out again, watching him walk away.

"My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I?"

"Shut up!" Sasuke yelled at Gaara, but the red haired merely continued.

"All that awaits you is a somber morrow."

"Shut up! I'm warning you!"

"No matter where the winds may blow." Gaara continued, smirking sadistically at the 'puppy'. "I don't see Madara today but…" he eyed Sasuke. "Are you game?" and the materia he was holding in his hand glowed bright, a summon circle appearing before him as Sasuke got back up to his feet. He soon found himself surrounded by flying rocks that circled the broken piece of land he stood on. A roaring sound caught his attention, and he turned to see Bahamut flying and stopping to face him.

"A summon..? So that's how it is…" he gave a solemn look before turning it to a determined gaze as he drew out his sword. Bahamut made one swish, hitting Sasuke as he cried out and glared at the beast. "Damn you…" he cursed, recalling his last training session wherein Madara, even if it was just a data, almost killed him in the VR training. He closed his eyes as mako energy started to surround him, Madara's commanding voice sounding in the air.

"Concentrate."

Sasuke opened his eyes and positioned his sword to a stabbing poise. "I'm feeling it!" and he performed the Octaslash. Bahamut was enraged by the attack, so it delivered a few blows at Sasuke, who tried to dodge and block. Feeling a bit annoyed at how this monster was stubborn, he sent a few fire attacks and ice attacks.

Bahamut was still standing, and he sent some lightning attacks at Sasuke, who rolled away to dodge it. "Damn it." He cursed. "I have to get Itachi back…" once more, he closed his eyes and concentrated.

"Prove your honor to me."

His aniki would always say that, and he would always prove it. "You got it." He said and delivered a Rush Assault at Bahamut. The winged creature was still strong enough to fight, and he got pissed off at the stubbornness. He closed his eyes once more as he concentrated on the time he has left to fight. "Neji, I need your help again…" his phone rang, and he answered.

"Is this the end?"

He twitched. "I'm trying, I'm trying!" he heard a helicopter coming in, and he looked up to see Neji in it as an Air Strike was delivered to Bahamut. Seeing an opportunity to defeat the monster, Sasuke rushed as soon as the smoke of the explosion has cleared and gave one final swing of his blade at the summon. "Oh yeah." He said with a smirk. Approaching the fallen red materia and picked it up. His surroundings turned back to Banora village, and as he gripped the materia in his hand tightly, he turned to glare at Gaara.

"Summons aren't meant to be used like this!" he scolded. "What ever happened to dreams and honor?!"

"We are…" Gaara answered. "Monsters." He placed a hand on his head, closed his eyes and swung his hand to the side, exact timing as a black wing sprout out from his back left side. Sasuke was taken aback by the one-winged being before him as black celestial feathers floated around. Gaara turned his head slightly to Sasuke and smirked a bit. "We have neither dreams nor honor." With that said, he took off, Sasuke following with his eyes until he could no longer see Gaara, black feathers still flying around.

He caught one feather in his hand. "SOLDIER…" he spoke softly and looked back up. "Doesn't mean monster."

Bombs were dropped as the village houses were destroyed, the banora white trees turning to ruins as Sasuke watched the scene unfold from a cliff. He eyed the copter that came by to pick him up. As soon as the door opened, he turned around to witness the burning village and what was left of it, Neji standing by the entrance of the helicopter and eyeing Sasuke.

The raven-haired SOLDIER couldn't bare to look any longer, that he closed his eyes and turned away. "Aniki…"

"Aniki… the war is over… everyone's really happy." He stared at the empty training room of the SOLDIER floor where he and Itachi used to spend the rest of the time in developing their skills, or more specifically, Sasuke's skills. "As for me…" he closed his eyes, an image of the Buster sword appearing in his head when he remembered the words of Itachi's mother.

That sword represents our family's honor…

His fists clenched as he recalled how Itachi held that sword as if it was his life, and how he prayed to it when they infiltrated the fortress of Wutai at Fort Tamblin. An image of how Itachi had saved him once again from the third monster that almost killed him, and how he said…

You're a little more important than my sword… but just a little.

He opened his eyes slowly and his clenched fists relaxed a bit. "Where… did you go?"

His thoughts were interrupted when his phone rung, so he had no choice but to answer it.

"Sasuke here…" he greeted.

"It's been a while, Sasuke."

"…Madara."

"Come to Kakashi's room." He ordered.

"Alright…" he hung up and took one last look at the training room before heading to the director's office.

Along the way, he bumped into Shikamaru. "Hey Sasuke."

"Oh, hey." He said, though a little less enthusiastic.

"So, the war's over. Have you heard it on the news?"

"No, but, I did pretty good…" he said, shrugging in a careless manner.

"…They didn't mention you at all."

"…"

"It was all about Madara's bravery and such."

"…What the hell?! He was with B unit!"

"That's how it is. Media chooses the hero." He smirked in a teasing manner as Sasuke sighed irritably. First, Madara forced the last mission on him, and he had to witness Banora's demise, plus fail to bring his mentor back. Next, Madara gets all the credit. Hell, not even a mention of Neji was present. Boy, he sure hated reality, especially since it bites.

"…Asshole." He murmured, heading towards the elevator as Shikamaru only chuckled.

As soon as he got to Kakashi's office, he gave a small glance at Madara who turned to him and smirked before looking over at the clipboard he held. Sasuke only glared and continued making his way to Kakashi who soon faced him. "Congratulations," Sasuke only crossed his arms and shifted his weight on one foot uncaringly. "As of this moment," the director continued with a smile. "You're promoted to SOLDIER first class."

The director expected the "puppy" to cheer and jump, or at least smile or make a happy noise. But he didn't expect him to just stare back, lower his arms and stand there, like a professional. Next thing Sasuke did was look down at his hands, wondering why they weren't clenched from excitement. "Huh…" his eyes half-closed. "I thought I'd be happier…" he whispered. Kakashi seemed down at the reaction, that his smile was replaced with a slightly solemn look. He shifted a bit.

"Understandable," he said, before leaning his chin on his left hand. "Too much happened too fast…" but he knew better. If Itachi was there to hear and witness Sasuke's accomplishment, the teen would've been yelling his head off. But apparently, the absence of the first class SOLDIER meant a lot to Sasuke. As if he did everything to become a first for his "aniki" and not for himself. "Well, his dream was to be a hero, not to be a first…"

"Sasuke, I'm afraid I need your assistance again."

The newly promoted 1st class turned his head to Madara with a calm glare. "Are you pushing another assignment on me?"

Madara sighed, arms still crossed as he lifted his head to meet Sasuke's gaze. "My apologies…"

"Tch, whatever…" apparently, he lost a great deal of respect for the… hero…

"I'll inform you on your next assignment, but before that, go to the briefing room and change into a 1st class uniform." Sasuke nodded and did as he was told, reaching the briefing room in an instant and getting changed into the all black 1st class uniform. He eyed himself for a moment, still not as happy as he thought he would be. A researcher entered, and he turned when he was called.

"You're now able to perform materia fusion." He said.

"Huh." He replied, recalling what Itachi said about materia fusion. It simply combines two materia to form a new one or a more powerful one. "If you need to know anything else about it, just ask." The researcher said. Sasuke nodded, but made a move to leave, stopping only when his phone beeped; informing him that he has a new mail.

He read the contents of the message, annoyed that they declared Itachi and Gaara's statuses as KIA – Killed in Action. He answered his phone when the director called, asking if he was done. Sasuke said he was, and was then told to head back to the office for a briefing of his next mission.

"The company has decided that Gaara and Itachi are to be assassinated."

"And you want me to do it?!" Sasuke was not happy at that news. Kakashi eyed him for a moment. "No, the army will do that."

"And me?"

"They… don't trust you to do it."

Madara decided to speak. "They believe that your emotions will hamper your judgment."

"Well, of course!"

"That's why I'm going too."

Sasuke turned to glare at him. "To kill them?"

Before Madara could answer back, the alarms began to alert them, and Kakashi got up from his seat. "Intruders..." Kakashi announced.

"Where?"

"Close." Kakashi answered. "Madara, the President. Sasuke, entrance."

"Yeah. You got it." He rushed off and took the elevator to reach the entrance. When he got there, he was surprised to see multiple infantrymen having a hard time in dealing with the machines. "Wait a minute… these machines all belong to Shinra!" he saw Gaara clones, and he remembered what Neji said about stolen technology. "Tch. That Gaara…" he took his sword out and jumped from the second floor, bringing his sword down to one machine that almost killed an infantryman. "Clear the area and tend to the wounded, I'll handle this." He ordered.

Being a first class, he had the right to give commands, especially since no one around was higher than he was.

"Yes sir." The infantryman said, passing on the order to the rest of his comrades who helped out the other wounded men. "Gotta love this job…" he murmured, rushing head on to defeat the machines. He successfully clears the entrance, and proceeds to fight. "What the hell?!" the sight that greeted him was some Shinra troops trying to hold the enemies back. He did not think twice in attacking the machines, and again, told the lower class members of Shinra to help clear the place by getting the others to safety.

"Roger." Said the man before leaving to fulfill his duties.

Later on, Madara joins Sasuke at the entrance.

"The intruders are Gaara clones." Sasuke told him.

"Seems like the work of Fugaku."

"…Who?"

"A Shinra scientist who vanished after lifting the copy technology."

"Are you saying that Gaara and this… Fugaku guy, are working together?"

"Perhaps…"

"What is it they're after?" Sasuke withdrew his sword and sighed. He just got promoted to first class, he wasn't as enthusiastic as he thought he would be, and now this happens. Madara eyed him and explained further. "Fugaku lost his position as head of the science division. And because of that, he grew a grudge against Shinra. He's most likely planning revenge."

"Pfft. Sounds stupid." Sasuke walked around a bit, hands on his waist as he turned to the ruined robots then back at Madara. "So Gaara is supporting this idiotic cause?"

"I would prefer not to believe it but..."

That was the first time he actually saw Madara look a bit… sad?

"…Then don't." Sasuke concluded, turning away. Madara gave an amused expression before sighing and shaking his said. "I won't then." He turned back to Sasuke. "There're more clones in Sector 8, so let's get going."

They reach outside and spotted the whole area of Sector 8 in complete chaos. "We'll split up from here."

"Hn." And they took their separate ways. Sasuke spotted a girl who was cornered by two clones, so he made a move to help, but was stopped by a guy who had this lazy look in his eyes, holding onto a metal rod. "Sector 8 is Turk's jurisdiction, slick." he informed. Sasuke turned to eye him, then at the other guy who looked a bit, obese.

"This is no time to be playing around," he said, turning to see Neji approach. "Hey Neji, do something!"

"There's no need for concern." The guy wearing shades said.

"Huh?" Sasuke looked back to see the girl holding onto a giant shuriken-shaped weapon, and the clones already on the ground unmoving. Neji turned to the other two who Sasuke just met. "How are the other areas?"

"Midgar's crawling with nasties." Said the man with the red triangles on his cheeks.

"SOLDIER is having difficulties." Said the other guy, eyeing Sasuke.

"Hm. Kiba, Shino."

"Just say the word." Kiba said.

"Go." Neji ordered.

"Yes sir." Shino answered and the two left, heading towards the upper area of Sector 8.

"So now we're outsourcing to the Turks?" Sasuke asked, watching where Kiba and Shino ran off to. "SOLDIER's being stingy." He turned to the girl he was about to help earlier when she spoke.

"There's a manpower shortage." Sasuke said. "You're a Turk too, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm Tenten." She greeted.

"Hn. Sasuke."

Neji chose to interrupt. "Aren't you on a mission?"

"Same damn thing, need help?" Sasuke offered.

"I appreciate the offer, but-"

"Oh, how generous." Tenten cut Neji off. "Well Neji, Sasuke, I gotta go." And she left after winking.

Sasuke then starts to clear the other areas until he found himself in LOVELESS Avenue. He saw a couple of civilians in danger that he rushed to help, easily getting rid of the clones and of the machines. Two girls he helped thanked him, but one of them informed him of another girl who was having trouble in fighting against a man with a big gun. Sasuke nods and heads to where the girl pointed at.

He spots Tenten avoiding some bullets and was ready to throw her weapon when another shot caused her to drop it. Sasuke takes his sword out and blocks an attack meant to kill Tenten. "Gaara?!" he was surprised to see him, but when Gaara did not speak, he assumed it to be a clone. "This one's… different…" he mused. It sure looked a lot like the real one.

With a few hits here and there, the clone falls, yet attempts to fly away with its last ounce of strength. Sasuke stares at it for a moment before drawing his sword out once again and jumps to deliver a final blow, stopping it from escaping.

"Wings…" Tenten said, approaching the fallen clone. "When I was a kid, I always wanted to have wings. You know, like an angel."

"If people had wings…" Sasuke spoke. "…they'd be monsters."

"Wings symbolize freedom for those who have none, they don't symbolize monsters." She dropped the subject and turned to Sasuke. "Thanks for the save, as expected of a SOLDIER 1st class." She gave him a Research Department QMC if ever he needs to purchase something, he can use it.

"We're not that different." Sasuke said, a hint of indifference in his voice. Seeing Gaara, even if it was a clone, only added irate to his mood. "Anyway, thanks again." She looks around. "Don't you have a job to do in another location?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, see you again." And she runs off.

Sasuke eyes the clone once more, and was interrupted when his mobile rung.

"What?"

Madara concluded that Sasuke, the pup, was in another sour mood.

"Once sector 8 is clear, come to Mako Reactor 5."

"Did you find something out?"

"Itachi… has been sighted."

"Tch. So it's search and destroy?"

"The army is mobilizing, but there's still time. You and I will find them before they do and-"

"AND WHAT?!" Sasuke yelled, causing Madara to pull his phone away from his ear to avoid being deaf. He smirked and continued to speak. "…Fail to eliminate him."

"For real?!"

That was a quick change of mood. "Heh. Yes. For real."

"Alright!" they both hang up and Sasuke instantly sprints to where Madara was. "Aniki, hang on, I'll get you back, no matter what!"

On the way though, he encounters a creature and quickly eliminates it. Something was off about it, so he inspects the fallen monster and was shocked to see Itachi's face on it. "What the hell?! Is that Itachi's face?!"

"It appears Gaara isn't the only one who can be copied."

Madara comes in and stops a few feet behind Sasuke.

"No shit."

Madara shook his head at the colorful language this little pup had. "The company training room…"

"Hm..?" Sasuke, once again, noted the tone and look Madara had.

"We used to sneak in there for fun, when the 2nds were out…" he mused. "Gaara, Itachi and I…"

"You guys were… pretty tight, huh?"

"Hmm." He smirked slightly and looked to the side. "I wonder…"

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess. We seek it thus, and take it to the sky. Ripples form on the water's surface. The wandering soul knows no rest."

Madara smirked and turned to face Gaara. "Loveless Act I."

"Hm. You remembered…" Gaara said.

"How can I not," Madara tapped his head with his index finger. "When you've beaten it into my head?" he took his sword out and prepared for combat.

Gaara raised his sword and eyes the crimson colored blade. Itachi took another sword out and left his Buster strapped on his back before turning to Gaara. "Don't take Madara lightly." He warned.

"Hmph. Noted."

They both rush towards Madara who blocked their attacks without breaking too much of a sweat. When Itachi rushed in and had his sword and Madara's locked, the latter smirked haughtily. "Ha. Is that the best you can do?" he pushed Itachi away and swished his blade down, standing there with the smug smirk still present on his lips. Itachi gave an amused smirk as well. "All hail Madara, eh?"

"Itachi," Gaara said. "Stay back." He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "I'll take Madara alone."

"Gaara…"

"The world needs a new hero." He proclaimed, tracing his red blade with his hand as it gleamed brighter than before.

Again, Madara refused to drop the smugness. "Hmph. Come and try."

"So smug," Gaara said. "But for how long?" and he attacked Madara. Their blades clashed in a deadly manner that one mistake may lead to a fatal injury, or maybe death. But this was Madara and Gaara, they were both good, only the former was better, yet Gaara plans on changing that fact as he added a few elemental materia on his blade, turning his weapon into one of Firaga blade. Everytime he would strike, Madara should block, unless he wants to be scorched by flames.

One attack from Gaara made Madara push him back higher, and he jumped after the red-head where they continued their sword dance in midair. Gaara was thrown back down, but while he was still in air, he cast two Firaga assaults at Madara who only dodged and blocked. However, Gaara was able to control the flames and had them come back down at Madara who managed to deflect a few but still got caught by many.

Seeing an opportunity, Gaara smirked and attempted to cast another magic attack when Itachi jumped to intervene, stopping him from doing more damage.

"You'll destroy us all." He told Gaara.

Gaara shoved his hand off and placed it on his face, the fire materia still active. "That's no way to talk to a hero!" he yelled, finishing his attack which caused Itachi to grunt in pain and fall back down. Gaara looked back up and saw Madara dispel the fireball and send three waves of his blade down which Gaara had to block unless he wanted to be sliced into three.

They both landed back on the nose of a cannon, Gaara safely on one side while Madara landed on one part that was about to sink thanks to his early attack. When he was no longer in Gaara's line of vision, he did another attack and caught Gaara off-guard. They both engaged themselves in another sword dance, neither one backing away from the challenge of the other's blade.

At one point, Madara gained the upper hand, but Gaara refused to be beaten and used magic once again. They were both about to deliver finishing blows to each other when Itachi rushed in between to stop them. "Enough!" he yelled, one hand held onto a sword which blocked Gaara's while he used the hilt of the Buster sword to block Madara's.

"Itachi…" Madara voiced out.

Gaara, clearly pissed, still continued with a magic attack. "Out of my way!" he used the attack to break Itachi's sub sword in half, causing the upper end of the blade to fly towards Gaara and give him a gash on the left shoulder. He cried out and fell to his knees, grasping onto his wound as Itachi made a move to help.

"Gaara!"

Due to the damage done to a comrade, the VR training automatically shut down, returning them back to reality.

"Just a scrape." Gaara said, getting up. "I'll be fine, don't worry." And he picked up his sword before leaving. "Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return."

"So, was everything alright?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, as far as Gaara was concerned. But…" he paused. "As for Itachi…"

Sasuke turned his head over his shoulder to get a glimpse of Madara's back. "Aniki? What happened?"

"Hm. Later, I received one of his famous lectures."

"About what?"

"Always the same." He said with an amused smirk. "Discipline, dreams, honor, etcetera."

"Ah, one of those, huh?"

Madara pulled away from the railing and walked back to the monster Sasuke defeated earlier. He eyed it and had another solemn look in his eyes. "So it's true, they're in league with Fugaku."

Sasuke didn't take his hand off from the railing but just stared at it. "How could this happen?" and he placed the other hand at the railing and leaned down a bit, sighing and trying to calm down, yet his emotions keep on heightening up to a notch. This would be an advantage if ever he needs some limit breaks in his battles. "Itachi, what are you up to..?" he thought before pulling away and following Madara. "I guess I'll have to look for clues." He made his way to a few ladders, finding a valve when he reached the lowest area possible. He rotated the wheel, opening the Mako Reactor room where Madara stood, waiting.

The newly promoted 1st class headed to where Madara was.

"Looks like the power has been restored," Madara said. "Let's go."

When they entered, Madara grabbed a folder and read the contents. "Sasuke, go check the other files." He nodded and read the documents that were scattered in different places. "Ugh… this is giving me a headache." He muttered, seeing the tiny words printed in one paper and all seeming to force themselves to fit. "It was Fugaku's experiment." Madara clarified. "The result was a normal child, which meant he failed, however…" he continued reading the rest in silence, so Sasuke read the other documents.

"Geez. My head feels heavy…" well, he can't help it, he had to force the words to enter his brain in one sitting. "It was before Gaara deserted." Once again, Madara tried to simplify everything. Itachi sure was right in calling this kid a puppy. "The wound was superficial, but for some reason, Gaara wasn't healing, the man who treated him was Fugaku…"

Madara and Itachi pushed themselves away from the wall when Fugaku came out of the infirmary room.

"Professor," Itachi called. "How is Gaara?"

"The problem is the Mako energy that seeped in through the wound."

"Is it treatable?" Itachi asked.

"First, he'll need a transfusion."

Madara took a step forward but Itachi prevented him. Fugaku turned to Madara. "You aren't viable." And so Fugaku led the way back inside the infirmary, Itachi tailing behind, leaving Madara to wonder why it had to be Itachi and not him?

"Why couldn't I be the donor?" he asked. Sasuke didn't know what to say, and Madara continued. "A soldier… type G…"

Sasuke made a move to go back upstairs when Madara told him that he ought to read what he was reading first. He came back down and approached him, but not before he saw what was inside the tank that Madara had been inspecting earlier. He peeked inside and saw a monster, the same one he fought earlier wherein Itachi's face was on. "This is where they make the copies..?" he shook his head and turned to Madara.

"Project G gave birth to the man we know as Gaara."

"Project G…" Sasuke echoed.

"Project Gaara." Madara clarified. "Contrary to this report, Gaara showed clear signs of change."

"Degrading?"

"Not only that."

"Copies..?"

"Abominations." Madara answered. They both turned to the stairway where Fugaku came, surprised to see them.

"M-Madara..?!"

"Fugaku," he greeted. "I thought I'd find you here."

"The degradation process… only I can stop it."

Madara was about to approach Fugaku, but stopped when Gaara came flying down from above. "Gaara…" Madara acknowledged. Gaara smirked and pointed his sword at Madara. "You won't take Fugaku." The professor gave a victorious smirk and made a move to leave. "Sasuke, go after Fugaku."

"Aa." And he chased the professor, leaving the two former friends behind.

Gaara lowered his blade and walked closer to Madara. "There is no hate, only joy. For you are beloved by the goddess. Hero of the dawn, healer of the wounds…" Madara smirked nostalgically. "LOVELESS again? You never change."

"Three friends go into battle. One is captured, one flies away. The one that is left, becomes a hero."

"A common story." Madara said with a shake of his head.

"If we were to enact it, would I be the one to play the hero, or would you?"

"It's all yours." Madara said without a care.

"Indeed," Gaara said. "After all, your glory should have been mine."

"How petty…"

"In hindsight perhaps," he turned to face Madara. "Now what I want most if the "gift of the goddess"."

Sasuke saw Fugaku enter the room a few meters away from the one they came from. "Tch. He won't get away, not until he tells me where Itachi is." And he ran after the professor. He managed to catch up with the professor, and his rage did not waver, even for a moment. "Fugaku, do you understand what you're doing?!" he was getting closer to him, close enough to probably strangle the professor that caused all this, but a familiar sword had blocked his path, earning Fugaku a chance to escape.

"Working for Fugaku now..?" he traced the sword with his eyes, staring at the post where Itachi hid. "What is it you're after?"

"World domination…"

"That's not even funny man."

"How about… revenge?"

"For what?!" his eyes, for the first time, was glaring at his mentor, his idol, his brother. "Itachi!"

The older first class didn't even bother to say anything for a moment. Sasuke's angry eyes turned to one of surprise when Itachi suddenly had one angel wing sprout out from his back, on the right side, a small one below it.

"Whoa…" Sasuke said, watching the feathers fly around gently and smoothly. "I've become…" Itachi spoke. "…a monster." He turned around a bit and faced Sasuke. "A monster's objective is usually world domination or revenge."

"You're wrong." Sasuke walked forward. "Those aren't the wings of a monster."

"Well then, what are they?"

Sasuke outstretched his hand to catch one soft feather left floating in the air. "Angel's wings."

"I see." Itachi said, looking away for a moment. "Then what should an angel fight for, Sasuke? What do angels dream of?!" he yelled, going out of character even for a moment, but Sasuke wasn't even phased, even for a bit. Itachi tossed his Buster sword and caught it again by the handle before stabbing it on the ground, afterwards, approached Sasuke, who took a few steps back.

"Aniki…"

"Angels dream of one thing…"

"Please," Sasuke said, still stepping back when Itachi continued approaching. "Tell me."

The older man stopped - eyes solemn for a moment before answering. "To become human." And without warning, he had punched Sasuke on the stomach, the force was too strong that the younger of the two had flown all the way to the other side, rolling on the floor for a moment before coming to a complete halt. He was taken aback by what Itachi had done. Not once did his aniki ever hurt him like that, in fact, he even prevented him from getting hurt. Now he really felt like a puppy, a defenseless one at that, seeing his mentor having to turn to the other side, against his side. He slowly got up, holding onto his stomach as he tried to recover.

"Aniki…" he lifted his hands for defense, but as soon as he saw Itachi, as soon as he saw who he was about to fight, his fighting spirit dampened, his eyes looked defeated and he lowered his arms, refusing to fight. He raised his head and sighed. His aniki didn't even notice that he was now a 1st class. If this was the result of it all, he wished he was never promoted.

"Defend yourself!" Itachi ordered.

Sasuke stared at him for a moment, afterwards, gave a cheeky grin and shook his head. "Even if you're now Shinra's enemy and target, you're still…" Itachi got pissed that he punched the ground and sent a fire materia towards Sasuke, who wasn't too shocked that Itachi would seriously attack him again. "You're still…" the ground he stood on gave way, and he fell down inside, passing out from the speed he was falling. "…you're still my aniki."

Angels dream of one thing… to become human…

To be continued…

Next on Crisis Core (Revised): Chapter 3: SOLDIER Trademark

"So you saved me, huh?"

"Not really." She exclaimed, turning around once more to lean on a flower. "'Hell-looo!', that's all I did." He couldn't help but laugh, which caught her attention. Somehow, his laughter made her smile even more. He braced himself up and pushed all of his weight and force to his feet, managing to get up from his lying position. She giggled at what he did, finding it amazing to say the least.

"Thank you so much, Sakura." he said, turning his head to face her and give a small smile. "I'm Sasuke." He introduced himself and crossed his arms. "I have to repay you somehow…" he mused, walking around a bit. "Don't worry about it." Sakura said, but Sasuke shook his head. "No, no…" he stopped and snapped his fingers, turning to face Sakura. "Hey, how about one date?"