Disclaimer: see previous chapters :D

Pairing: Itachi x Sasuke

Note: Deidra or Deidara, I don't know. I'll probably just stick with the way I've been spelling his name for the sake of continuity. I hope that doesn't bother anyone. x.x; Oh yes. This chapter is dedicated to my...my cousin yumei whose birthday is today. xP

Destiny Rewritten

By: yukuro

Phase Four: Ulterior Motives

When the sun began to rise over the mountains, Sasuke was already awake and alert, staring with a blank-expression at the roof of the vast cavern. His body was sore and bandaged, still singed and darkened from the attack of the previous night. Above that, his head ached madly as if he was being hammered from the inside. The effects of alcohol truly were amazing. More than anything else, however, his mind and consciousness were confused and lost, entrapped in a state of inexplicable vertigo that had not been induced by alcohol.

Itachi had kissed him. And without hesitation or awkwardness at that. It felt as if this was what he had been waiting to do for a long time already. Was that what Itachi had meant when he told Sasuke they could no longer been seen as brothers? For a moment at that time, Sasuke thought he would have been ravished, as his brother's breath smelled heavily of alcohol and both their senses seemed to be dulled. But then, Itachi had surprised him by carrying the younger boy gently back into the cave without another word. In truth, Sasuke had been more shocked at Itachi's docile behavior rather than the fact that their lips had just met.

Sasuke's mind struggled to come to terms with what his body was feeling. Indeed, his body craved more of that cold touch even though it may have been wrong. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice was telling him that he had been obsessing over Itachi's lone figure although the reason was unclear. The voice was telling him that for a long time, he had not believed Itachi to be his brother at all. Calling him "brother" was just a convenient excuse to cover his awkward inner lust. Interesting the realizations one came to when fighting the pain of a hangover.

Just when Sasuke finally closed his eyes for a moment to give his body the rest it screamed for, he heard the pattering of feet coming towards him and the bright call of, "Sasuke-kun, awake yet?"

Slowly, he cracked one eye open again as Kisame took a seat next to where he lie. Without much of a reaction, Sasuke resigned himself and opened both eyes again to stare back up at the far-away ceiling. He winced slightly when Kisame tapped his arm lightly.

"Time to change your bandages again, kid," Kisame explained with a bit of cheer in his voice. "If you stay like that, you'll get an infection."

Hardly willing to argue, Sasuke sat up slowly and tentatively. He winced visibly as his body simultaneously screamed in pain along with his aching head. Bringing a hand up to his forehead, Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut in attempt to will away the terrible throbbing.

"No need to push yourself too much," the shark-like man commented in amusement, unrolling a roll of clean, white bandages. "But then again, I shouldn't waste my breath in warning you. You are Itachi-san's brother after all."

Stiffening slightly at the last comment, Sasuke turned his face towards the opposite wall as Kisame unwrapped the bandages on one arm. His mind may not have clearly remembered, but he knew for sure he really did not want to be called that anymore although it seemed like a far-too-good dream at first. He became especially sensitive to the association after last night.

"That's enough of that," Sasuke muttered quietly, making Kisame look up. "To him, we aren't brothers anymore."

At that moment, Kisame thought the situation was rather ironic. All the years that Sasuke had spent waiting and training to someday kill Itachi, hating him with all his might and not assessing him to be any part of his family, Itachi had been the opposite. In fact, Itachi had always thought of Sasuke to be his "dear" younger brother, or at least as far as Kisame knew. But Sasuke didn't know any of this, nor would he remember what he was like in the past. Kisame vaguely wondered when the tables had turned on their relationship. It was rather amusing.

"Whatever you say, Sasuke-kun," Kisame drawled with a sneaky grin spreading slowly across his face as he changed the boy's bandages. "Itachi-san specifically told me to take care of you so I guess that means complying to your wishes too."

Sasuke stiffened again for a moment before getting a grip on himself. Somewhat abashed, he muttered, "Itachi asked you to look after me?"

"Of course," the Akatsuki member replied with ease. "Of course, I would've done so anyway if it were up to me, but it's better to get Itachi-san's permission you know. The entire night he's been warding everyone else away from you."

For a short while, Sasuke was silent in contemplating what the man had said. Closing his eyes, he remarked with the slightest hint of amusement, "You're enjoying all this, aren't you?"

"It's fun to play matchmaker," Kisame replied simply with a nod, finishing the knot of the bandages on Sasuke's arm.

Rolling his eyes slightly to suppress his tiny smile, Sasuke relaxed. At least he knew he had one ally in this place. He couldn't even be completely sure about Itachi anymore. That, of course, could not stop his body from wanting to be held by him though.

For the rest of the bandaging process, Sasuke was obedient and sat immobile as Kisame neatly re-bandaged his body. Once Sasuke was properly wrapped in clean bandages again, Kisame rose to his feet and stretched out his arms. Leaning over, he grabbed the bloodied bandages so that he could go dispose of him. "Sleep, Sasuke-kun," he urged as he trotted away. "Sleep some more. It's good for you."

Sasuke had hardly finish hearing what Kisame had said before his eyes fluttered closed and his consciousness drifted away obediently. Once asleep, it seemed as if all dreams had been warded away, thankfully. Although he had slept for more than half of the day, when his ears twitched at the sound of the vague shuffling of a cloak beside him, Sasuke had felt as if only a few moments had passed. Still too weary and dazed to open his eyes, Sasuke merely shifted slightly, fully intending on rising until he heard a voice speak.

"What do you plan on doing by keeping him here, Itachi?"

Since Sasuke had not been around long enough to be able to clearly tell apart the various Akatsuki members' voices, his ears prickled in lack of recognition although he vaguely sensed that it may have been Sasori. His senses told him that there were at least three or four people at his side. He dared not open his eyes to peek though.

"Itachi," Deidra called out impatiently, tapping his foot slightly with his gaze fixed on the older Uchiha's back as he sat on the ground gazing down at his brother. "Really, even I'm curious, ah… I'm not complaining since he's cute, but didn't you bother to think what would happen back at Konoha once they realize he's gone?"

"Knowing that ridiculous village, they'll bound to send someone after him sooner or later," Sasori stated flatly and coldly, similarly gazing coolly at Itachi's back. "Not that it'll be a challenge to defeat whatever incompetents they send after us, but it will be troublesome to re-locate. If we don't get rid of him, unnecessary trouble may start."

Remaining silent, Itachi let his eyes drift across Sasuke's expressionless face. After carefully sweeping a few long bangs away from the boy's eyes, Itachi slowly closed his own. Quietly and smoothly, he stated, "No one will be coming after him. At most, there will be one…"

"Ah," Deidra muttered thoughtfully, tapping his ringed finger on his chin lightly. "His friend, the jinchuuriki? It may be even better for us if he comes. Saves us the trouble of searching for him. Good thinking, Itachi."

"I doubt that was his original intention," Sasori stated coldly, still glaring harshly at Itachi's back.

"You don't give Itachi enough credit, Sasori-danna," Deidra sniffed indignantly with a raised eyebrow.

"You're giving him too much credit," Sasori snapped back, shifting his dark glare towards Deidra. "You forget your place. We aren't comrades here. I shouldn't trust you any more than I do Itachi."

While the two glared daggers at each other, Itachi silently opened his eyes again to gaze down at Sasuke's face again. There was more than one reason he had brought Sasuke to them. He would admit however, that more than one was for a selfish reason. That though, did not need to be known.

"Deidra's right," Itachi stated smoothly, surprising the two other Akatsuki members with his sudden comment. Although his eyes stayed carefully locked on Sasuke's face, Itachi directed his quiet comment over his shoulder. "The jinchuuriki will come. That is why…Sasuke is here."

"As long as the jinchuuriki thinks he's here, he'll come," Sasori began darkly, tone icy. "That has nothing to do with keeping the kid alive."

"Sasori," Itachi stated quietly and calmly, eyes still fastened on his younger brother. "If you touch him, I'll kill you."

At that point, Sasuke's chest tightened on impulse. He knew he was supposed to be feigning sleep, but at the rate his heart was pounding, he was surprised Itachi had not already heard it. His mind was spinning. He wanted nothing more than to open his eyes. When he opened them a crack to sneak a glance through his eyelashes, his breath was caught in his throat when he noticed his brother's expression. The last comment had been serious, but all others before it a lie. Whatever Itachi's reasons for keeping Sasuke with him, Itachi kept them well hidden.

Deidra let out a quick burst of laughter at the tension-filled glare Sasori was directing at Itachi's indifferent figure. Grinning crookedly, he drawled, "Itachi has a brother complex after all, hmm? You probably shouldn't push him when it comes to his cute little brother, Sasori-danna."

Promptly ignoring his traveling partner, Sasori turned on his heels and marched stiffly in the opposite direction. Deidra cast a smirk at Itachi's back before lightly taking off after Sasori.

Once Sasori and Deidra had filed out of the dark corner of the cave, Itachi closed his eyes. Smoothly and softly, he commented, "Sasuke, you can stop pretending and open your eyes now."

Reluctantly, Sasuke opened his eyes to gaze lightly up at the ceiling. His mind was still in a daze. Slowly, he sat up and turned his head to glance at his brother. The older boy's gaze met his evenly, and between their eyes, they silently reached within each other's souls.

Before Sasuke could utter a word about what Itachi had said, Itachi himself spoke up first. Eyes unwavering, he said in his quiet voice, "Even lies are just words."

"Lies can cause misinterpretation of true intentions," Sasuke replied quietly, his nerves growing slightly colder under Itachi's gaze. He shifted his eyes away to avoid his brother's. "What's the point of living if you're living in a lie?"

Itachi stiffened slightly, but went unnoticed by Sasuke. His dark eyes were glazed, staring with empty indifference at the stone floor he sat upon. Quietly, he muttered, "Humans are selfish creatures. Sometimes they'll even hurt the ones they love just to be happy themselves."

Silence passed between them for a brief moment. Finally, Sasuke managed to mutter, "Luring the jinchuuriki, or whatever it was…that's not the real reason you have me here, is it?'

The older boy remained silent, turning his gaze to bore into Sasuke's eyes. They held their gazes even for a lasting moment before Itachi closed his eyes again. Still, he said nothing.

"You weren't supposed to be like this."

The soft whisper was so quiet, Sasuke had barely heard. His ears were strained, and for a moment, he believed he had imagined it. But then, Itachi spoke again.

"Hate me again, Sasuke."

Sasuke blinked in shock when he was suddenly roughly pushed back down on the mat. His head swam with dizziness before his vision cleared and he realized Itachi was hovering above him. Surprisingly, he could not feel the need to panic or get angry. He simply felt dizzy.

"If I do this, you'll hate me again," Itachi muttered to himself almost, as if he needed reassurance. Silently, he inched his palm across Sasuke's face. The fingers stopped their dance across the white skin when Sasuke's eyes suddenly closed his resignation and compliance. Itachi felt something inside his mentality snap. Roughly, he pulled the younger boy's arms above his head and pinned them to the ground with one hand on the wrists.

"Why are you so obedient?"

The teen turned his face to the side slightly, letting his long bangs fall over his eyes. Slowly, he opened his dark eyes and stared soullessly at the wall. In a dead tone, he muttered, "I don't remember anything anymore. How should I know how to react?"

Itachi paused for a moment before smirking slightly. Using his free hand to turn Sasuke's face upright again, he leaned over slowly until their cool lips crashed together. Once they parted, Itachi released the boy's hands and rose to his feet. Closing his eyes, his lips quirked up slightly. "As usual," he stated, "you're just a foolish little brother, Sasuke."

Sasuke lay on the mat silently for a moment as he listened to the sound of his older brother's feet quietly padding away. Suddenly, he called out, "Ani… Itachi."

The older boy paused in his tracks. Without turning back, he silently waited for further speech.

"Your eyes have gotten darker."

Staring straight ahead, Itachi stated simply before continuing again, "Ah. It's been getting a little harder to see your face lately."

Without another word, Itachi departed and Sasuke did nothing to stop him. At this point, words were already pointless between them.

---

It was hours later when the moon was high in the sky again when Kisame returned to help Sasuke change his bandages again. It seemed as if Sasuke had not moved at all from when he had last left, Kisame had thought. The boy lay still and quiet, gazing blankly up at the ceiling as if in a daze.

"Need to change those bandages again, kid," Kisame said rather brightly, taking a seat next to the boy.

"Kisame," Sasuke called suddenly, surprising the Akatsuki member.

Before the boy could say another word, Kisame grinned. "You don't like to use honorifics do you, Sasuke-kun? Completely different from Itachi-san. He's a gentleman, you know."

"Kisame."

"Yes, yes," Kisame sighed. "What is it?"

Eyes unwavering from the ceiling, Sasuke paused for a moment in his questioning. Still staring blankly up, his voice dropped a tone before he asked, "Is there something wrong with Itachi's eyes?"

Kisame stiffened before shrugging it off. Grinning, and almost laughing, he stated, "That's ridiculous, Sasuke-kun. Itachi-san's in top form these days. His sharingan is stronger than ever. What would made you think there was something wrong with his eyes?"

Closing his own dark eyes, Sasuke rested in silence for a moment before slowly sitting up to allow Kisame to re-bandage him. Holding his arm out to the shark-like man, he muttered, "Nothing."

Nodding in victory, Kisame began to unwrap the bandages on the boy's arms. "That's better," he said with a degree of more cheer. "You shouldn't doubt your brother. He's the most capable person there is here."

Memory straying back to how dark and hollow those eyes had looked hovering above him, Sasuke squeezed his already shut eyes tighter together, causing wrinkles to form on his forehead. Frustrated, he muttered under his breath, "Just for now."

"What was that?" Kisame asked, dropping the used bandages in a pile beside him. When Sasuke said nothing, clearly without intention to repeat what he had stated, Kisame sighed inwardly. As he was returning his concentration to the boy's bandaging, a deep red mark on the boy's wrists caught his attention. "Sasuke-kun, what happened to your wrists?"

Sasuke was silent for a long moment as he opened his eyes slowly. Avoiding the older man's gaze, he shifted his eyes towards the dark corner of the cave. Quietly, he stated firmly, "Nothing."

At that point, Kisame had an expression of affectionate exasperation on his face. Letting out another brief sigh, he commented, "At least you and Itachi-san share one thing in common. You both seem to avoid the use of words whenever possible."

As Kisame finished tying the bandage on the boy's arm, Sasuke let his mind stray until his consciousness replayed the split-second brief image of Itachi's sorrow in his face when he hovered over Sasuke over and over again. At such close proximity, it was almost impossible to miss, Sasuke thought to himself. Closing his eyes again and surrendering himself to darkness, he stated simply, "There's just nothing to say."

Kisame remained silent for a moment before frowning slightly. Taking Sasuke's other arm to be bandaged, he stated, "It's not that you have nothing to say, it's that you don't want to say anything. Jeez. You're both just little brats in the end."

Momentarily stunned, Sasuke felt his eyes widen slightly before he relaxed again. It was annoying, but the place he was in now was really his new "home." Or rather, wherever Itachi went would be his home. His lips faintly quirked up in a way similar to his brother's. Offhandedly, he commented, "I think Itachi might be interested in hearing about that last statement of yours…"

The frown on Kisame's face dragged lower. "You're mean, Sasuke-kun."

Lowering his head so that his bangs effectively hid his face, Sasuke smirked.

At that point, he had not yet noticed, but the dizziness in his mind had slowly faded away.

Tsuzuku.


A/N: Another weird-o chapter. Curses upon my inability to focus these days. Plus, there's the fact that my writing needs to undergo a bit of shining up. It's rusted and terrible these days. Blah. Oh, and all right, I'll admit it. I'm rather a fan of Sasori and Deidra, which is why they keep popping up everywhere. XP But it's not like there's many others to work with though… Ah… too bad. Anyway, expect the next chapter to go over poor Naruto's predicament a bit.

So, tell me. Is this getting interesting yet? Or should I go flush it down a toilet? XD I'm not completely against the latter, you know. Well, leave me a nice comment, kk? I'll reward more fic ASAP this way. Hehe. Such terrible bribery.

Thanks for reading! Sorry for slowness. I'll work harder, promise. :D