Chapter 3

A/N: I keep getting reviews for veritas and not this story. I really need a review people. My muse is usually triggered by your reviews. I'm just asking for ONE review. -TheGnRFangirl

The moment we stepped foot into the apartment we were greeted by Madara's furious glare. Sakura was still asleep when we got inside though which saved us for the time being. Itachi put her into her bed and we went to our room.

During these few months that we've spent in Oto I never really talked to Itachi. We were distant from each other when we grew up with our parents. I've never really had a reason to talk to him. Even now I had nothing to say to him. I no longer bare any grudge against him or blame him for my imprisonment. It feels like nothings really changed between us at all. Tonight he did not want to be silent.

"So why did you two exactly decide to fight in the arena with other mediums?" Itachi asked from his bed.

I turned my head and stared at Itachi for a few seconds. I was really tired but at the same time I was wide awake.

"I noticed Sakura looked troubled when Grandfather mentioned we might have to run away again." I told him.

"What exactly does that have to do with my question?" He asked me.

"She's lived in Konoha all of her life." I explained. "This city is the closest to Konoha. It's the closest place to the place she felt safe for so long. I figured that rather than running we should fight instead. Madara is teaching us a few things but its more for self-defense. We can't keep running from Danzo so we should just end this now."

"Danzo is a strong medium though. Do you really think you'll be able to stand a chance?"

"We don't have to be stronger than him."

"Tricking him won't be an easy task either Sasuke. He was able to trap us both in the manor."

"We were still young when that happened."

"We're both still young."

"Only in appearance."

"You and Sakura ran off like a [air of teenagers sneaking off to a party and got caught. I'm the older brother that is covering for both of you."

"I never asked for your help."

"But you needed it in the arena."

"I know that and I'm grateful but I kind of wish we didn't need it."

"You don't have to ashamed of asking or taking help. If you let your pride take over than it will only hinder you."

"I understand that."

"Please talk to grandfather. You're so used to hiding your opinion because of our father. He will listen to you and he won't mock your opinion."

I just nodded my head. My lids were starting to become really heavy. I don't have to deal with aches or pains anymore but I always felt extremely exhausted after my body would heal.

"Do you love Sakura?" Itachi asked out of nowhere.

That shocked me from my sleepy state. I looked over to see if he was just teasing me or actually being serious. His eyes gave no hint of amusement which meant this wasn't a joke.

"Why would ask me that?" I countered wondering where this question came from.

` "You've been giving her all of your attention lately." He explained. "She smiles a lot more when she's with you."

"I haven't noticed her lately and she is my partner in the arena. We have to know each others weaknesses so we can cover them."

I let my eyes close now. Itachi's nagging was starting to bother me. I wanted to rest now because I know that in the morning when we're all awake we'll be facing grandfather's anger unless we sneak out again which was out of the question. I felt myself slowly drift away from consciousness and was thankful for the peace and quiet it would bring to my mind...

I felt someone shaking me but I didn't want to get up yet. I felt like I hadn't gotten any sleep at all today. I wanted to rest a little longer but I knew that whoever was shaking me probably was either Itachi or my grandfather. It was more likely Itachi since I'm sure grandfather would have just pushed me out of my bed.

I opened my eyes and turned to face whoever was shaking me and and saw my brother. He was already dressed for the day. I looked the digital clock by my bedside and saw that it was almost noon. What time did we get home last night?

"Grandfather wants to talk to all of us." Itachi explained. "You need to get dress and go to the living room. I've already informed Sakura. I'll be waiting with grandfather. He's already called in sick for you two."

I felt a pang of guilt as Itachi left the room. He's going to face our angry grandfather alone because of me. I don't have any memories of grandfather ever being angry but I'm sure Itachi has been through that before. I got dressed in navy blue jeans and a black T-shirt and made my way to the living room.

Grandfather was sitting in the arm chair with his arms folded. The only thing that gave any hint of his anger were his eyes. I could see that he was struggling with keeping them black and it almost looked like there was a fire in them. Itachi was sitting in the far left side of the couch avoiding eye contact with grandfather at all costs.

I took the seat to his right and I realized this is the first time I've ever sat to his right. Our father always had me seated to Itachi's left whenever we ate at the table in the dining room. Usually when I sought after my brother to talk to him I was always across from him. It felt somewhat odd for me now. I heard Sakura walk in and watched her as she took the seat to my right.

I suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to protect Sakura. It came out of nowhere but it subsided for now. Maybe in my head I was still in the arena with Kabuto and Orochimaru.

"I want an explanation from all three of you." Madara said; his voice barely below shouting level.

I gave him my explanation first. Madara's stared me right in the. The whole time I had to fight to keep eye contact; I think I heard him growl a bit to but the sound came from my left. I told him that it was my idea from the start and that I persuaded Sakura to agree to my plan. I also told him that I kept it a secret because even though he had already said we could talk with him that I doubted he would say yes. He didn't seem to trust others people at all. I also used how he didn't trust Sakura when he first met her as an argument against him. Explained to Madara that I was starting to see through Sakura's moves way too easily and that sparring with her was just not motivating anymore. I could see through her attacks at times and it was just getting annoying to fight the same opponent over and over again. When I finished my explanation he turned his gaze on Sakura. I growled in the back of my throat for a second and heard a second growl to my left and realized it was Itachi. Why were we growling?

Sakura actually put on a pretty good brave face. She kept all emotion off of her face but when she spoke her voice shook with fear. Every time her voice quivered Itachi and I would growl. I don't know why this kept happening; I'll probably ask Itachi about that later.

Sakura explained that she agreed that we needed to expand our fighting skills by facing a wider variety of opponents. She also mentioned that she could predict a lot of my movements because of certain quirks that I had. I was aware them because Sakura had pointed them out a while ago but I thought that I had been hiding them well but apparently that wasn't the case. When she finished speaking his gazed turned at Itachi.

The anger in his eyes seemed to burn hotter when he turned to look at Itachi. It was probably the same reason that I had heard while growing up; Itachi was the oldest and was therefore supposed to be the responsible one. I didn't growl this time but I felt a cold chill come up my spine. Why did I suddenly feel so scared?

Itachi just said that it was better that Sakura and I at least had him there for support. That it was better not to humiliate us in front of every medium there just because we got on Madara's bad side. He also mentioned that Sakura won our first arena fight against two stronger mediums. Madara asked Itachi about why he lied to Madara last night and Itachi said it was just to throw Madara off long enough for me and Sakura to get a chance at fighting in the arena.

I turned my gaze to the ground and waited to hear my grandfather yell at us. I was used to being yelled at by my father so it wouldn't make much difference. I felt someone grab m y hand; when I looked to my right I saw that it was Sakura. She probably wasn't used to being yelled at. I wonder how her mother disciplined her though. My father usually chose to yell t me and there were times where he would slap me. How had she been raised? How different were we?

"I don't want you two going to the arenas any more." Madara said calmly.

"And why not!?" I shouted. "Are you going to give me a valid reason or are you just going to keep more secrets?"

"Do you realize how dangerous it for you to show yourselves among other mediums?!"

I heard a whimper to my right and I grabbed Sakura's hand to comfort her.

"No I don't!" I yelled back. "Why don't you actually explain something to me for once and stop acting as if you need to shield form the entire world! I'm tired of feeling like I'm a prisoner in this tiny apartment! I was a prisoner in that God forsaken manor for years! I've had enough of this bullshit!"

"Your eyes are dead give away of your lineage Sasuke." Madara told me calmly.

He was talking to me as if I were a dangerous beast. Amazingly my grip on Sakura's hand was still normal.

"Sooner or later Danzo will start to seek aid in order to find us." Madara continued. "It doesn't matter if they keep your family names anonymous. All four of us already have physical characteristics that identify us. There are mediums out there that would gladly give Danzo the information he needs for a small reward. It's best if other mediums don't know about us."

"What if I want to fight Danzo?" I asked him. "What if I just want to get rid of Danzo so I can finally live my life? I'm fine with seeing the world but I don't want to have keep looking over my shoulder because I have to keep running from Danzo."

"That depends on everyone else." Madara answered. "If they feel the same way then we can work something out TOGETHER."

There was a moment of silence that settled in the room. I suddenly felt alone and abandoned until Sakura broke the silence.

"I want to be able to go back to Konoha someday." Sakura said bravely; her voice full of courage instead of fear. "I won't be able to go back until Danzo is dead and some time has passed. Danzo would be die a lot fast if we killed him."

There was a malicious tone in Sakura's voice when she spoke that last sentence. I didn't know she was capable of speaking that way. I've seen her angry before but I've never seen her hate anything before. I don't know why but I turned to stare at her. There was definitely a fire in her eyes. It was an all consuming flame in her eye that threatened to burn anything it came into contact with. I had the sudden urge to just gather her up in my arms and kiss her; but I controlled myself for now. Where had that flame come from?

"Itachi gets to go out a lot more than me or Sasuke and that makes me envy him a bit." Sakura added almost childishly.

The fire in her eyes disappeared but now I knew it was there.

"You have been acting like a dictator recently grandfather." Itachi said almost playfully. "I'd prefer to be free from your tyranny and the key to that is Danzo's death it seems."

"I am not a dictator!" Madara shouted at Itachi.

"That's a matter of opinion." I heard Sakura say to Madara. "I think your dictator."

"You've been more of a dictator than fatherly figure ever since we moved in here."

"According to the normally silent majority; Madara Uchiha has been declared a dictator and therefore must be overthrown." Itachi said with a smile in his voice.

"And who would you three replace me with if you did manage to overthrow me?" Madara said; he was still taking it seriously.

Itachi did have a point though. Madara was the one who decided how the money was supposed to be spent. Madara was the one who came up with the training schedule that Sakura and I followed. When we went out to get jobs we had to get Madara's approval and permission. He was a dictator but I think for now we wanted to just bicker playfully like a... a family.

Madara was still treating this as a serious matter though which had caused all of us to stop smiling.

"Grandfather we don't mean to offend you in any way." Itachi said apologetically. "What I mean is that we want to be able to talk to you as equals. It would be nice if we could talk you as if you were our father. I don't like the way you hide your opinion from us. I'm sure Sasuke and Sakura would have been more cautious about going to the arena if you were more open. It'd be nice if we had more of a family-like relationship with each other."

"Would this really be better for all of you?" Madara asked us.

Itachi turned to face me and Sakura. He raised his eyebrow a bit; his silent way of asking "is there anything I forgot?" I looked at Sakura. She understood his action because she nodded her approval as well.

"Yes." I heard Sakura answer before Itachi could.

"Fine." Madara said. "We can go out to eat to tonight as a family. Until then behave please."

Madara stood up after he was done talking and left the apartment. I couldn't tell if something was bothering him but for now it wasn't a big deal. After a few seconds of silence it became awkward.

"I'm sure you two have some questions about what just happened so I'll go ahead and explain what I think you want to hear. Feel free to tell me if I miss anything." Itachi said; breaking the awkward silence that had settled in the room.

He got up from the couch and took the seat that Madara had occupied before leaving.

"I had sit in that order for a reason." Itachi explained.

"You didn't really have us sit in any order." I told Itachi. "We just sat in the only available seats."

"You're wrong Sasuke." Itachi told me. "If you hadn't noticed we were sitting from oldest to youngest or vice versa."

I thought about that for a second. Even if I hadn't been trapped in the manor I would b e seventeen which I believe was still two years older than Sakura I think. But why would that matter at all?

"I've been reading in my spare time about mediums." Itachi explained. "Mediums have a closer connection with the earth and each other; especially if they are related or have a 'treaty' with each other."

"Why do mediums have treaties with each other?" Sakura asked.

"They were done in the past because of the wars some medium families would have with each other. It usually meant that the two families would protect each other from harm. There were severe punishments for anyone who tried to go against the treaty."

"How could you tell if a treaty was broken and how would make a treaty?" Sakura asked

"You would be able to tell someone broke the treaty the same way you could tell if someone has hurt a family member." Itachi said somewhat grimly "They would be trapped somewhere until they have either been released by someone or have done something to help a family member or ally."

I looked at Itachi. He'd been trapped in the attic of the Manor for as long as I have. It was because of the massacre that occurred.

"Then how did you free yourself from the attic?" I asked him.

"Remember when you were trying to turn Sakura into a medium?" Itachi asked me. "She was too pure and you needed a way for her to lose that purity. I know you have a romantic view on sex; at least that's what it seemed like when you were with Karin."

"I'm not a romantic and explained how this is relevant." I told him.

"You have some romantic views now let me explain." Itachi told me. "Because of how you view sex you wouldn't have used that to take away her purity. You probably would have had her murder someone since I know you're not a thief. It would have haunted both of you so I did the only thing I could in that moment."

"How did you even know what was happening if you were in the fucking attic?!" I yelled; I didn't like discussing this.

"I was still had my power back then remember? I used a spell to keep an eye on you the whole time. I know what you've been through all these years. At least you had a way to escape every once in a while."

I was not comfortable with talking about this anymore. I wanted to just forget this right now; where was the gun when I needed it? Forever lost in what used to be in the Manor probably.

"Sasuke its fine." Sakura told me sharply. "It's in the past now lets get back on topic."

Itachi nodded his thanks at Sakura and continued.

"A treaty between medium families does not need to be written down and can only be broken when the heads of the family agree that the treaty is either no longer needed or necessary." Itachi explained as if our argument never happened. "A treaty can happen out of an act of kindness between mediums of different families. Sakura you helped Sasuke even though you would get nothing for your kindness has actually made a treaty with our families."

No one interrupted Itachi this time which he looked grateful for. I guess he didn't want to argue with anybody anymore or maybe it wasn't in our nature to fight pointless battles. It wouldn't change a thing at all really.

"It was good that we sat in the order that we were sitting in." Itachi explained. "Madara has for some time been thinking about just leaving Sakura alone to do whatever she wants since she's already helped us enough. I've been trying to tell him that she should make her own choice and that it'd be better if you stayed with us Sakura. The way we reacted as Madara stared us down proved to him that we all have a close connection with each other."

"Are you referring to how we were growling earlier?" I asked.

"Yes." Itachi answered. "The fact that we growled when he looked at Sakura proved to Madara that she is very dear to us. Mediums are very protective of anyone who is younger to them if they are close to each other."

I just nodded my head. That cleared up a few things for me at least.

"Itachi if someone was a medium then would that affect how long it takes a child to be born?" Sakura asked.

That sent a cold shiver down my spine and my heart started to race. I wanted to run out the room at this very moment. I wanted to leave and just keep running until I collapsed from exhaustion.

"There are many factors that could affect that." Itachi said calmly; there was no hint of worry in his eyes.

"I'm pretty sure you know what circumstances I'm talking about Itachi." Sakura said.

"Because you were transformed into a medium the baby would have developed faster." Itachi explained. "If you were pregnant then the baby would have been born in three months. I doubt that you have my child."

"Would the baby have been born human?"

"There was a fifty percent chance of that happening. If you were medium when that happened than the baby would have been born a medium and have more potent magic to use than any of us could ever hope for. The child would have close to little emotion though."

The beating of my heart slowed down as they spoke. There was no need to be alarmed at all. I felt better. I didn't want to think about what could have happened.

"Can we stop talking about things that might give me a heart attack?" I asked. "I can only handle so much."

"I'm Sorry Sasuke." Itachi said to me. "I didn't mean to cause you any pain."

"It's fine." I answered. "Let's just either move onto a different subject or so something else."

"Why don't we see if you two can sign up for another match for tonight or would rather wait?"

I looked at Sakura and I could see the excitement in her eyes. I had misjudged her a bit. I never would have thought that she would like the idea of going into the arenas to fight. I had a great partner.

A/N:Please feel free to express your opinion in a review and yes flames are accepted. I don't care if you're going to tell me it's horrible just please leave your opinion. Thank you. -TheGnRFangirl