Twisted Desires
Disclaimer: This is a purely non-profit story for entertainment purposes only. The characters of Naruto belong to their respective owners.
Author's Notes: Sorry for the long notes last chapter. To get to the point, I want to limit the excess use of characters in this story, since (for the most part) our focus will be on Sasuke, Itachi, and Naruto. If it seems strange that a certain character does a certain thing, it's because I want to pick and choose the characters I like (or feel that I can write best about) and leave others out. Not too much happens in this chapter, but it's critical for plot development!
Chapter 2
He woke up in the warm sunshine of the afternoon, unsurprised that he was alone. Itachi never stayed; Itachi would never stay. The discarded parts of his ensemble were strewn not far from him, and he hastily got dressed, feeling somehow embarrassed as if the trees could see.
Rays of light filtered in through the broken canopy, and Naruto surveyed his surroundings for the first time. It was a tiny clearing enclosed entirely by many ancient trees. From nearby, a bird took wing in a flurry of coloured feathers, startling the groggy genin. It took him a while to remember why he had left in the first place. When thoughts of Sasuke re-entered his mind, he became instantly alert. He had spent too much time that morning; he had to find Sasuke and get him back to the village before they started declaring him a missing-nin as well.
He stood abruptly and was about to set off when the loud grumbling of his stomach stopped him short. Feeling sheepish, he decided that it'd be best for him to eat before doing anything else.
-
Kakashi hummed softly to himself as he walked, his attention firmly fixed on his book. It seemed like such a carefree gesture in light of all that occurred. In truth, his mind wasn't (for once) solely on his novel (although he had to admit that this was, by far, the best part yet). He cared a lot for his team and all the shinobi in Konoha, but he didn't think fixating on something he couldn't at all fix was healthy, let alone productive. Instead, he chose to focus his attention on something he could fix, and maybe it would in turn help to fix all the other things.
As it turned out, Kakashi was on his way to visit one of his team. Naruto had been banged up rather badly, and had been allowed to return home the day before under strict orders to rest (Tsunade had alluded to something along the lines of a decree to ban Naruto from every ramen shop in town; Kakashi figured he'd take her seriously). The masked jounin finally came to a halt in front of Naruto's residence, and tapped the door softly. When he got no reply, he knocked harder, but already the panic was rising in his chest – Naruto had a long history of reckless behaviour, even with a sizable string of consequences behind every action. He quickly put his book away and whipped open the door, fearing the worst. When he was greeted with nothing but an empty room, as neat as it had been under Naruto's inhabitancy, his anxiety increased tenfold. As he surveyed the area, a large scrap of paper on the bedside cabinet caught Kakashi's eye; it rested neatly on the clock, the pristine whiteness leaning softly into the timepiece like a timid lover, as if knowing its own offence. He carefully picked up the badly written letter to scan over briefly, and it told him all he needed to know. Without hesitation, Kakashi made his way directly to the Hokage's office.
-
It was nearing evening, and still Naruto had found nothing. He had been scouring the area all day (he realized with dismay that Itachi had gotten him lost by sidetracking him), but he found no signs of anyone or anything. He also couldn't find his way back. Once the sun set, he knew he'd be even more at a loss; at least in the afternoon he had known which direction he was going in. Frustrated, Naruto stopped abruptly on a branch and sat down to think.
What could he do? He knew where Sasuke wanted to go, but as he'd found out a little too late, he didn't know where the place was. "Sasuke's going to Orochimaru" is only so useful when you don't know where Orochimaru is. He knew he should've asked someone, but only a select group of people knew about the dangerous lair, and none of those would venture to share that privileged information with him. How would he find Orochimaru's castle? Unless he stumbled across it by accident and was lucky enough not to get killed (when had he gotten so cynical?), his chances of success were pretty bleak. Who would know? Who would—
And he stopped short, having reasoned himself into another preferable situation (in his increasingly twisted mind). Itachi would know, of course. Itachi always knew. Why hadn't it occurred to him before? Brushing aside the part of his conscience that screamed at him for wanting to see the missing-nin again so soon, Naruto was firmly resolved and already on his way. He'd have to find Itachi. He'd have to find Itachi to find Sasuke… it was only logical sense.
'Itachi… why does everything always gravitate towards you?'
The part of his mind that he thought he'd shut down, the ethical, rational side, screamed unmistakably, 'Because you want it to.'
-
When he opened his eyes, everything was dark.
At first he thought perhaps he had died, but the pain coursing through every fibre of his being disproved that. He tried to recall what had happened as indistinct images flashed before his eyes…
Naruto. Of course it was Naruto. The dope just couldn't understand anything, and nearly killed him because of it. He sighed as he touched his burning forehead. He had limped away alone in the rain, grateful that no one came after him. He had been so exhausted, both out of chakra and emotionally drained. The rain soaked his clothes and streamed down his face – the tears he never allowed himself to shed. It was all just so much, and it wasn't nearly over.
He had tried to find dry firewood, but that proved impossible. He couldn't just create a fire using jutsu in his terrible condition, so he'd had to sit and bear it out. He'd found this massive tree with dense enough branches to shield him from the rain, and had promptly collapsed ever since. Judging from the fragmented view he had of the stars, he had probably been out for a day or so.
Wearily, he tried to stand but found that his body was too feeble to co-operate. The fever still raged inside him, making him weak. He cursed himself for his weakness; if he ever wanted to defeat Itachi, he couldn't let a loudmouth like Naruto and a little rain defeat him. He reached into his pocket to pull out the remainder of the meagre food supply he had brought, only to come up with some soggy, disintegrated bread. Wrinkling his nose in distaste, he salvaged as much as he could and dryly swallowed.
It was then that he heard it, a rustling from beyond the darkness behind him. Instinctively, his hand went to his kunai and his senses narrowed. Who would be here at a time like this? Who would be here at all? Trying to make as little noise as possible, he half-crawled, half-dragged himself to peer around the thick tree trunk. To his utter horror, he saw the clearly identifiable form of Naruto, blond hair glowing in the moonlight. What disturbed him more was the figure he was talking to… a man clothed in the cloak of the Akatsuki. He was confused; Naruto had never shown any ambition to become more powerful or anything of the sort – in fact, he had expressed the entire opposite. Why would he be affiliating with an Akatsuki member?
The shock was complete as the two started to speak, and Sasuke recognized the hollow voice that haunted his dreams.
"Where is Orochimaru?" Naruto asked fervently, seeming far too anxious. Sasuke couldn't say he blamed him.
"Why does it matter?" the dead voice of his older brother replied.
"I have to know, Itachi," Naruto's voice trailed off, and Sasuke found it strange how familiar his brother's name seemed to be to Naruto, how easily it rolled off his tongue. To him, the sound was almost foreign now. "I have to bring Sasuke back."
Startled to hear his own name, he gasped softly. Thankfully, neither Naruto nor Itachi seemed to notice.
"If he's so important to you, why are you wasting your time here with me?" Itachi asked almost coyly. "Could it be that this was never about Sasuke?"
Sasuke couldn't understand what Itachi was saying, but all thoughts fled his mind as Itachi crushed his lips against Naruto's, eliciting a moan from the expressive genin. Shock, anger, embarrassment, and something else mingled in his mind all at once. Try as he might, he couldn't tear his eyes away. He couldn't look away when Itachi slowly undressed Naruto and himself, leaving the two exposed to the dim moonlight. He couldn't look away when Itachi shoved Naruto onto his hands and knees, and when Naruto let out a groan of pain as Itachi entered him, Sasuke found his chest was unbelievably constricted. He wanted Itachi to get away from Naruto, to not touch him, to not be interested in him. He wanted Naruto to snap back to his senses before Itachi killed him. The two sides warred in his mind as to who was right – or who was the most dominant. Although he did care deeply about Naruto, the prevalent thing running through his mind at that moment was for Itachi to stop, to care about no one.
With a final wrenching of his heart, the two in the clearing were at long last sated. Sasuke grabbed his chest, unable to breathe. Why was he so bothered by what he'd just seen? Naruto and Itachi… the concept was alien, but it shouldn't be painful. Somehow, he had never felt so betrayed… but, strangely, this betrayal was not by Naruto. He twisted around to rest his back against the tree trunk, putting the two out of sight; whatever happened, he didn't want or need to see any more.
He could hear the rustling of clothes as both worked to get dressed. There was a lingering sort of silence all around.
"Orochimaru's lair is in the mountains to the north." Itachi's voice broke the hushed spell, and Sasuke strained to hear Naruto's muttered answer. He heard a loud scampering, and deduced that Naruto had left. Itachi was probably gone as well, although the man hadn't made any noise. Grateful to be spared any further… incidents, he closed his eyes and leant his head against the rough bark of the tree.
He didn't know what it was, but something made him open his eyes. He had to stop himself from screaming outright at the mesmerizing stare of the sharingan. Fighting to catch his breath, he tried to back away from his brother but the scratching of the tree's tough shell against his abused back told him that he had nowhere to go. All the while, Itachi watched him with an unreadable gaze.
"Did you enjoy the show?" he asked somewhat sardonically, but his eyes stayed the same neutral tint. When Sasuke didn't answer, Itachi merely laughed harshly. Sasuke had not heard Itachi laugh for years; he decided it wasn't a sound he liked. "My poor little brother must be so traumatized, so I'll take that as a yes."
Not willing to play along, Sasuke got up shakily. He moved to push past Itachi, but a firm arm blocked his path. Glaring at his brother, he tried to scowl as menacingly as he could.
"Get out of my way," Sasuke warned, although the hoarseness of his voice from sickness and hours of disuse made him far from intimidating. Itachi stood unchangeable, not hearing Sasuke at all.
"Going somewhere?" his brother asked, bringing his hand up to caress Sasuke's face. The younger Uchiha flinched back, but not before his brother's fingertips had ghosted the skin of his cheek. Itachi's eyes narrowed; he had felt the heat of his brother's flesh
"I'm not going to play your game, Itachi," Sasuke retorted, trying to get around. Still, Itachi blocked his path.
The older Uchiha watched him levelly. "If you wish to go, then defeat me."
Although he could barely stand, Sasuke wasn't about to be lectured like this. Knowing full well that he didn't have nearly enough chakra left, he tried to power chidori. A meagre spark formed in his palm before it dissipated and he slumped forward, having drained all his energy. Strong arms caught him before the hard ground could, and he fought to stay conscious as he felt himself being lifted away.
"Sleep, Sasuke," a voice from nearby told him, and a warm hand touched his head. More exhausted than he'd ever been, Sasuke was more than willing to comply.
TBC
AN: Please review, review, review!
