A/N: Hello everyone who's reading this. It has been a while since I've updated this story, but it WILL still continue :D though I can't promise it will be updated fast consistently. But either way please enjoy
I also wanted to thank this story's reviewer Feathered moon wings: Not sure if you're reading this, but I just really appreciated your words of encouragement :) even though it's been a while, I have not forgotten at all so whether you're still interested in this story or not... thank you so much.
...
The moment Itachi let go, he was being pulled backwards into nothingness. At least that's what it seemed to him at first. Now nothing but a wisp of air was his very being as he was yanked from his previous realm of existence.
He could no longer feel the presence of his powerful chakra coursing through his body. Probably because he was no longer in his body, which did not surprise him. The blackness that had at first enveloped his vision gave way to blurriness and he could barely make out his and Deidara's bodies as they grew steadily distant until they were nothing but mere dots lost in a plane of a billion grass blades. Though it was very unlikely, considering the secretive choice of route they'd taken, Itachi still prayed no one would find their bodies there. As far as anyone would be able to tell, if not observed closely, the two were merely dead corpses. Itachi would've thought so about Deidara who's pulse was weaker than a brushing feather, and who was no longer breathing.
Soon, Itachi's fuzzy vision became complete blackness once again and the only thing reminding him that he still existed was the harsh tugging that was pulling him faster and faster by the second. The weasel couldn't breath... nor did he feel the need to do so. Before he knew it he was being pulled right, then pushed left, then spiraling so quickly that it would've made his head spin. He was being jerked and guided around in so many different directions that he soon lost all sense of it. All he could do was remain in the dark as an anonymous force guided him into the unknown.
For a moment, he wondered if this was the extent of the unknown castor's jutsu. He wondered if he'd be forced to merely soar within blank space forever. That was until all of a sudden he could feel his entire body again. He hadn't realized he'd looked down until he saw his torso and his legs all the way down to his bare feet.
Although he knew this wasn't his actual body, he was slightly relieved to see this one was intact. However, he was no longer wearing his cloak, and was dressed simply in his normal ninja attire; a skin-tight fish net under shirt, toped by a looser pale blue t-shirt and sweat pants. That's when he realized, his vision had returned and he was surrounded in white. A pure, almost beautifully angelic white.
He wiggled his fingers, then, slowly spread his arms out as if he were stretching, testing his mobility. Surprisingly, there was no sense of air, not even a slight feeling of it against his moving arms like he'd normally feel when his limbs moved freely through the atmosphere. Since he couldn't control where he was going, he could only hope that it would lead to Deidara's current location. If Deidara were even still alive.
After a moment, he was slowing to a near stop in the whiteness and was simply floating, body smoothly bobbing up and down like he were an object in water. Squinting ahead, Itachi saw there was only white as far as the eye could see, which is why he was surprised to see a black chair that had suddenly appeared out of no where. Despite his floating, the chair right beneath him was firmly in place. Almost like it was placed on solid ground. Itachi stared at the chair, observing it with skepticism, but it looked completely harmless.
It wasn't long before he was being eased down into the chair, hovering over the seat by just a few inches, and then, at that exact moment, he was let go, plopping down into the seat. The sudden absence of whatever had had a hold on him, gave the Uchiha a strange, bare feeling, as if he'd just been stripped of a warm fur coat in the midst of a deadly snow storm. His arms were getting chill bumps, which was weird, considering there was no air present.
In an instant, Itachi's brief freedom was gone as thick rope appeared out of no where, coiling around his skin almost deathly tight in the blink of an eye, binding him to the seat. Already chakra-less, Itachi was immobile yet again. In the snap of a finger, the white was gone, black taking over once more.
...
He didn't know. How long he'd been engulfed in the darkness, but when he opened his eyes, in the confusion and disorientation of it all, the Uchiha felt momentary relief wash over him once his eyes landed upon Deidara who was miraculously right beside him, sitting in a chair identical to his. He too, no longer wore his cloak, but there was no wired rope wrapped around him, and yet, he still sat there. Itachi stared at the blonde a second longer, confused by his lack of action at a time in which he was free.
"Deidara," he started slowly while glancing around. They were in a dark, wooden cabin. Its worn down surroundings were dull, dusty, and lifeless.
"Ngh...! Can't...move..." Deidara got out through his clenched teeth. Itachi soon noticed just how tense his companion's body was as he tried his best to move. The veins visible through his neck, jutting out from the near unnoticeable strain on his body as he tried to force its movement. But he only managed a slight twitch of the finger. Itachi looked down and noticed the rope tied around him was gone now, but he still couldn't move either. And though he could suddenly feel the presence of his chakra again, he couldn't get it to cooperate in the slightest. He could not control it.
"Come out and show yourself," Itachi's deep voice penetrated the dark silence aside from the sounds of Deidara's struggling. They were here and it was time. There was no use in dragging this out.
"Itachi... Why don't you tell me what the hells going on, un?" Deidara's voice was soaked with venom. His blue eyes flashing with a mixture of confusion, fury, and... Something else. Just by looking into his eyes, Itachi knew instantly what Deidara was thinking. They both knew there wasn't much room for chance when a shinobi's chakra refused to function. Even so, panicking wouldn't help anything. Itachi gave Deidara a stern look of reassurance. The uncertain light within Deidara's burning irises didn't falter as they fell down to his lap.
Itachi tried to take a deep, calming breath. He understood perfectly clear how HE had managed to get trapped in this gen-jutsu. However, what he didn't understand was how Deidara had managed to fall under the jutsu as well. The artist was disgusted by the man dressed in rags, and he had barely given him a side glance, let alone lock eyes with him in an interrogating gen-jutsu. He wasn't even capable of such a thing.
"Well, why don't ya look at that," a deep male voice suddenly rang out through the cabin. The mysterious man that was supposed to be nothing but a distant memory to the immobile shinobi stood across the room, emerging from the shadows. "It looks as though my guests have finally come."
"You..." Itachi could nearly feel the malice and fury building within the clay artist, reaching higher than normal levels. He just wished hate alone was enough to get them out of this whole thing.
Now completely out of the shadows, the man stood where they could see him clearly. Familiar rags hung from his thin body, the beginnings of a beard prickled his chin, his bald head gleamed in the moon light that shone through the window pane. Despite these features, he still looked pretty young as if he were in his early thirties. Looking at him again, Itachi still couldn't shake off the wonder of how such a man could trick them like this with such power. Apparently, looks could be fatally deceiving.
The man gave them a quite repelling grin, green eyes flashing in the darkness like a cat's. "It's about time. I was getting extremely lonely waiting for you two to arrive. Now, shall we get started?"
"What is it that you want?" Itachi took the moment to scrutinize this mysterious man. Back then in the alley where they did their business, he was defenseless, fragile and weak. Now he had nothing but an air of confidence. Satisfaction and power. Itachi pushed back the inevitable feeling of helplessness that rose within him. How could they win, wish to survive in a world that wasn't theirs? A world where they played by the rules? Of the enemy.
"I want what I've always wanted, Itachi." The man's grin grew wider. "Answers."
