[A/N: Trying to keep my mind off school starting tomorrow by writing, hence the update.]
4.
Itachi woke with a start when his basket was dropped to the ground with a jolt. The bump threw him across the basket and left him dizzily trying to untangle his paws and get up.
Once he had successfully regained his footing, he peeked through a small crack in the basket. He couldn't see much besides the grass his basket was sitting it, but he could smell familiar trees.
What are we doing in Fire Country?
Besides the trees, he could hear and smell rushing water, so it was possible that they were near the Valley of the End, which had the largest waterfall in the area. Still, Itachi couldn't think of why Sasuke would have brought his people all the way back here.
"Well," Sasuke said finally, picking up the basket, "Here we are." He gave the basket a little toss and caught it again, the impact throwing Itachi painfully into one of the sides. Itachi couldn't hold back a soft mewl as he tried to pick himself up yet again, and Sasuke laughed. "Bye-bye, aniki."
Oh no he wouldn't. He wouldn't seriously drop-kick me into a waterfall.
Considering that this was exactly what Sasuke had just proceeded to do (ignoring Karin and Juugo's gasps of horror) Itachi was forced to recognize that yes, Sasuke would.
The cliffs lining the Valley of the End were quite high, and the basket was light enough that the wind gave it some lift, meaning that Itachi had a long fall to look forward to. He knew he should take steps to reduce the impact when he hit the water, but he wasn't familiar enough with feline anatomy to be sure what position would best protect his internal organs.
With only a few more seconds to go, he curled up into a ball and hoped for the best.
…
There was a heavy impact, all right, but not the chilly splash Itachi had been expecting, and the basket wasn't filling up with water. Curious, Itachi tentatively shifted his weight a little. The basket didn't shift as he would have expected it to if it were floating or caught on something, so Itachi stood up and peeked through the crack in the basket.
He couldn't see much from his vantage point except the blobby white surface the basket was sitting on. It looked a bit familiar, but Itachi couldn't quite place from where.
"Now, I wonder what this is, un?" a most definitely familiar voice said. "It's a perfectly good basket, I don't see why anybody would throw it away…"
Itachi backed across the basket as his rescuer undid the strings tying it shut, taking up a defensive crouch as the lid was opened. Oh please don't let it be—
"Hey, free cat, un!" Deidara exclaimed, looking into the basket.
It was at this point, as the most annoying person on earth scooped him up and rubbed behind his ears, that Itachi concluded the universe hated him. He had suspected this for some time, but it still hurt to have it definitely confirmed.