"Agh!"
"Kurenai?"
Kurenai crumpled into a heap at Asuma's feet, clutching at her head. "Oooooh, Kami-sama," she muttered, trying to stand.
"What?"
Asuma dropped to his knees next to his girlfriend, slowly putting his arms around her shoulders. "What?" he repeated, pulling her close.
"My sister…" Kurenai said softly. "The-agh!!"
"Kurenai, what's wrong?"
Asuma turned Kurenai's face towards his own, staring into her blood red eyes. A sudden shock went through his body.
The rings in Kurenai's eyes had broken into three segments and were beginning to turn, just like Kakashi's Sharingan.
"No…" Asuma whispered, pulling back a bit. "Kurenai, what's-"
"The Yuuhi's bloodline," Kurenai said lowly. "Remember it?"
"Of course…" Asuma said slowly. "The Yuuhi's exclusive bloodline limit trait-their own kekkea genkai: the Sakura Shintenshin!"
Kurenai nodded, then gasped. "She's so much stronger than she used to be…"
Asuma looked at her in concern. "What do we do?" he asked, deep voice riddled with worry.
"What can we do?" Kurenai replied flatly. "We wait. There's simply no other option."
OOOOOOOOO
Itachi crouched in the bushes, two steps ahead of the squad he had brought. Surprisingly, everyone except Zetsu and Hidan had wanted to come, so Itachi simply took them and let Hidan sulk over the recent failure of his last mission, and Zetsu run around the headquarters and scare the crap out of people. Speaking of which, Yasu was probably doing so as well. She had probably transformed into a bloody zombie and was stalking Zetsu, trying to beat him at his own game. And I can't even watch the fun, Itachi thought sarcastically. He slipped forward, silent as a panther, and pressed himself to the brick wall of the hospital. Okay- if I've estimated right, Kakashi's room should be three up and six to the left. Itachi slithered along the side of the wall, counting windows as he passed them. He stopped under the second from the left and looked up. All right, then…this is it. He raised a hand, and within the second the five other Akatsuki members who had come along were at his side, ready to do as he asked.
"Deidara," Itachi said softly. "Open the window three up from here. Sasori, send up a puppet first to check for traps and alarms. Everyone else, we've gone through this and you know what to do. Stay with me for now. We surprise him on Sasori's signal. Sasori- it's up t the puppet."
Sasori nodded and unwrapped a small puppet, about half Itachi's size. "This should do it," he said, connecting his chakra threads to those of the puppet. He worked carefully and quickly, making sure that the strings were not tangled. "It's equipped with poisoned blades in just about every joint, the head and some of the limbs break free if it gets stuck on something, and I've got a poison bomb stashed in there somewhere." Sasori turned the puppet, trying to find the opening for the poison bomb. "Okay, here it is. If it gets messy I'll just let this out." He connected another chakra string to the hatch on the back and readied the puppet. "Okay-up you go." He directed the puppet to the window Deidara had just shoved clay into and waited.
Dead silence.
For the longest time.
Someone elbowed Itachi, and the sannin-level missing-nin turned towards whoever had just stuck him in the ribs.
"Did it blow up?" Kisame asked eagerly.
Itachi stared in astonishment. "How…do you even…get dressed by yourself?!"
"Whaaaaat it could have!!" Kisame whined.
"No smoke, no bang, no fire, you blockhead," Itachi snapped.
"quit arguing for a second, you two," Sasori said shortly, "and get up there. We're clear as far as the puppet sees. And the puppet sees pretty far. It's as quiet as a tomb up here."
Itachi shivered at Sasori's choice of words. It might be…but for who?
"Hey…Itachi, you okay?"
Itachi turned to Deidara, who was standing next to him. "Yeah, just kinda cold out here," Itachi muttered. "Let's go."
He concentrated his chakra, reaching down deep into the dark recesses of his chakra highway, coiling around vital organs and intertwining with blood vessels and arteries. Itachi felt his red chakra spring to life at his hands and feet. Around him, Itachi could feel various chakra signatures springing up: blue, yellow, orange, maroon. Itachi smirked to himself.
I have you now, Hatake. And I hope you put up a damn good fight so I can repay you for the trouble you caused me. You are so dead, Hatake. And if I ever get the chance, I am screwing you into oblivion. Bet your soul on it, I will make it happen, you ass. And anyone, even you, who tries to stop me, will find themselves in pure hell while enjoy heaven. So just do what I tell you to, and we'll all be happy.
Itachi began to scale the wall, working his way up like a spider. He counted the windows as he went and, reaching the third one up, he jumped through, landing soundlessly with cat-like grace.
Kakashi was sleeping quietly on his right side, chest rising and falling with each breath. His silver hair fell around his face and onto the pillow, the edges still slightly tinged red with blood from Itachi's last encounter with him. Itachi sighed at the mask still covering Kakashi's face. If the hint of his face was anything like the real thing, Itachi was in for a real treat when he captured the jounin. He could finally take off the mask completely, and see what Kakashi was constantly hiding. Kakashi might use the mask for his own reasons, but Itachi thought he just wanted to hide his imperfections, and to hide from the world. Itachi almost didn't want to wake Kakashi: his fragile innocence would shatter under Itachi.
Itachi inhaled deeply and stepped away from the window. Kisame climbed through with a bit of trouble, still wrestling with Samehada. Deidara jumped through as if he was jumping through a doorway with feet to spare. He landed in a crouch, pressing his palms flat to the floor in an attempt to feel vibrations in the floor. Sasori made it in just like his partner: soundlessly and easily. Itachi waited for everyone to get in before he made his move.
Itachi slipped closer to Kakashi's side, carefully intertwining his fingers with the silver locks that reminded Itachi so much of perfection. Itachi noticed Kakashi begin to stir, and he moved so quickly that not even Sasori could see him move.
Itachi grabbed Kakashi and yanked him up towards his body, plastering his hand over Kakashi's mouth. Itachi felt Kakashi snap awake against him, and immediately he began to struggle against Itachi's hold.
"Kisame, get his hands," Itachi muttered, still wrestling with Kakashi. The jounin was surprisingly strong for someone Itachi had tortured just a couple of days ago. Kisame darted forward and snatched Kakashi's wrists, yanking them away from Itachi's hands. Itachi could feel rivulets of blood trickling down his arms from where Kakashi had scratched him. "Kick me and you're dead," Kisame said sourly, tying Kakashi's wrists together with a length of sharkskin. "This should hold him," he said, tying the final knot. "It'll drain his chakra and his strength, so he'll be down for the count in about…an hour. He should collapse then."
Itachi gave a curt nod of thanks and wrapped his now-freed arm around Kakashi's shoulders in an attempt to control him. "Shush," he murmured, pressing Kakashi's head against his shoulder. "If you move, I'll snap your neck like a twig."
Kakashi, however, was having none of this. He knew Yasu wanted him alive, and Itachi really wouldn't kill him otherwise Yasu would kill Itachi. He cocked his left foot and kicked back, hitting Itachi's shin. Hard. Itachi grunted in pain and said,
"Someone slap him for me, please."
"Move your hand," Deidara said, pushing past Kisame. Itachi took his hand off Kakashi's mouth and Deidara slapped Kakashi so hard the jounin yelped and twisted against Itachi harder than he had the entire night.
"Hit him again," he commanded. Deidara obliged, smacking Kakashi even harder.
"We're gonna hit you until you shut your mouth and figure out how to control yourself," Itachi whispered in Kakashi's ear.
"Lemme go," Kakashi groaned, still trying to escape Itachi's arms.
Itachi sighed. "Again."
This time, Kakashi only whimpered, realizing that Itachi wouldn't give up. "One more time," Itachi said. "Just to make sure he's learned his lesson." This time, Kakashi took the blows without a sound, barely even turning his head at this point, and simply wanting everyone away. His natural instincts were beginning to kick in, and he was merely submitting to Itachi to avoid being hurt even more.
"All right, stop."
Itachi's command was the best thing Kakashi had heard the entire month, and he closed his eyes in defeat. The sharkskin was now going for the last of his strength, and he had been punished severely. He simply couldn't hold himself up anymore. He collapsed to his knees, and Itachi let him fall.
The last thing he remembered as he blacked out was someone cutting the sharkskin away from his wrists.
OOOOOOOOO
"What is it now Zetsu?" Yasu asked, somewhat annoyed.
"You know that jutsu Hidan uses to see things that aren't here? Well, he used it to find Itachi and he decided that Itachi was fine and he didn't need anything so he went to see Kakashi and you'll never guess what happened!!"
Yasu sighed. "I'm dying to know," she drawled.
"Well, he saw Kakashi and Tsunade Frenching each other until they stopped breathing!!!"
Yasu stared. "You…have…no…life…"
"Noooooooooo, don't you get it?!" Zetsu whined. "They're in love!!! And if Itachi goes through with the retrieval of the jounin, and Tsunade finds out, we're all toast!!"
"Do what you want, hamburger meat."
"But are you gonna do?" Zetsu asked. "Half of Konoha is gonna be all over us if we don't do something now we're all gonna be hamburger meat!!"
Yasu shrugged. "I'll take care of them. With Kakashi as my slave, I can do just about whatever I want. And they wouldn't dare hurt him, now would they?"
"Well…no…I guess not…But what about Tsunade? What will you do?"
A demonic grin spread across Yasu's face. "Anything I have to."
A/N: Sorry, I had to delay that surprise I promised for next chapter. OMG, you have so good to me with all the reviews pouring in!!! Thank you everyone who reviewed! I look forward to what you have to say this time!!! Oh, yeah, and yesterday was my birthday. Send me fuzzies and chocolates!!!