Every day for the past six days, it had been the same for Itachi. Kabuto would come in, give him a few gulps of water, and then beat him senseless. The entire time, he never said a word, and Itachi's blindfold remained. It would be hours before Itachi was calm again; it would be another few hours before he realized how hungry he was. He hadn't been fed in almost a week-was Kabuto planning on starving him to death?
The door slid open.
Itachi cringed at the high-pitched metallic squeak, and found himself trembling with apprehension. Back so soon? Would they ever tire of making him scream?
"Itachi? Stay calm, I-it's me."
Itachi froze, recognizing the voice that had spoken. Orochimaru! He let out a breath of relief, and he managed to stop trembling. "How did you get here?" he whispered. "Sasuke is going to be furious if he finds out-"
"I don't care!" Orochimaru cried. He reached up and pulled the blindfold off Itachi's eyes, letting him open them and move around a bit to make sure they wouldn't deteriorate from lack of use. Orochimaru reached out and wrapped his arms around Itachi, needing to feel his lover in his arms as much as Itachi needed to feel him at the same time. The two merely knelt there for as long as they could, Orochimaru sobbing softly into Itachi's shoulder and Itachi's tears barely visible. He couldn't move at all: he could shift his weight in a pivotal circle, but that was all. Orochimaru seemed devastated to have this happen to him, and only wanted to cling to Itachi-and never let him go. Itachi gently kissed Orochimaru's dark hair, whispering to him to try to quiet him.
"Orochimaru, hush," he murmured. "I'm here; I'm alive. Calm down…sh, sh, sh, don't cry…you're better than this. Quiet; I'll pull through. We'll pull through. It'll be alright."
His words helped him, at least. Orochimaru seemed to calm down a bit, but otherwise seemed not to recover at all. Itachi let him cry as long as he needed to; he knew Orochimaru was feeling this more than him, and he wasn't about to make him keep it all bottled up inside. It wasn't good for him.
"Orochimaru!!"
Orochimaru started at the sudden ringing in his ears and shot away from Itachi. He spun around, the force of Sasuke's voice still echoing in and around the tiny stone room. Orochimaru whipped around-
And his heart almost stopped.
Sasuke himself stood in the doorway, tall and menacing. Orochimaru unconsciously whimpered and drew back, clearly frightened. Sasuke felt satisfaction swell in his chest-he had succeeded with this one, at least. And from the looks of it, Kabuto was doing an excellent job with Itachi. Sasuke paced towards Orochimaru, seized his collar, and slapped him so hard the sound itself reverberated almost as loudly as Sasuke's scream. Orochimaru yelped with pain and fear as his head snapped to the side, driven to his knees in terror. "Leave him alone!" Itachi cried, straining at the chains that bound him. "Let him go, don't touch him!!"
Sasuke drew back a fist and buried it in Orochimaru's stomach, ignoring the pleas and cries from the suffering slave beneath him. Orochimaru scrambled back into a corner, bringing his arms up to his face to defend himself. His efforts were futile, though: Sasuke seized his hands and forced them away, then raised his hand again. Orochimaru cringed back, fearing what he knew would follow-
"Sasuke-san, someone at the gate demands an urgent meeting with you."
Sasuke sighed and dropped Orochimaru, spitting, "You'll get it next time I see you," and stalking out after Orochimaru's savior. Kabuto had come just in time. Had he done it on purpose, or was it coincidence? Orochimaru let out a sigh of relief and slipped back into Itachi's arms. He was content to lie there until Sasuke came back. The more time he had with his lover, the stronger he would be.
OOOOOOOOOO
Kisame, Hidan, and Sasori ran through the forest, taking a sharp right to approach the huge gates from the front. Kisame couldn't help but be nervous; anyone who could take Itachi and control him so easily had to be someone dangerous. But what Kisame wanted to was…who? Sasuke had beaten Itachi while he was injured, so that wasn't exactly the best measurement of power…who else was there? Orochimaru was enslaved as well, he heard, and most of the ninja had turned against him, anyway. Who was left…?
That creep, Kabuto.
Kisame knew of the kid's impressive power, but he had to wonder to what extent it had grown. He didn't know what the kid was planning, either: he seemed like a demon in an angel costume. A damn good one, too. He honestly couldn't tell that the kid would kill you in less than a second, given the chance. Kisame stopped at the gate, deciding how best to enter. Well, be nice and get on their good side for now. You could go from nice to mean, but you couldn't go from mean to nice. Try their luck first. He knocked loudly on the gate and simply told the guard he needed to speak with Sasuke immediately. He showed them the scroll with Pein's seal on it, and the guard sent someone to get Sasuke. Kisame waited, leaning against the gate. Hidan peeled skin off his fingers. Sasori shot puppet strings in and out of his body and practiced moving rocks. They waited for fifteen minutes before the gates creaked open just enough for them to pass through and a young woman motioned them through.
"This way."
She was dressed in the typical Sound uniform, and had shocking red hair and chocolate brown eyes. A flute was stuck in her shuriken holster; no other weaponry was in sight. Kisame knew that meant nothing, but thought it was odd. He followed the girl into what looked to be an underground complex, and off into a large room furnished only with a long table and several chairs along it. The girl motioned for the Akatsuki to sit, then stood by the door and leaned against the jamb. She and the Akatsuki both were counting minutes; Sasori's foot began tapping impatiently, and the girl frequently glanced at the clock on the wall at the far end of the room. Finally, she sighed with impatience and muttered, "Where the hell is he?"
Of course, the doors opened at exactly that moment.
The girl rolled her eyes and walked out, holding up her hands. "Have fun." She didn't glance back as she left, and Sasuke was left sighing and rolling his eyes much in the same fashion. He took the seat at the head of the table, and set his forearms on the table in front of him. "So, gentlemen, what can I do for you?"
Kisame raised a single eyebrow, and rolled the scroll towards Sasuke. "The details are in there, but we want Itachi back, as you can guess. In short, we are willing to offer several of our own prisoners, an alliance, a treaty, or a nice chunk of cash. So, what appeals to your more generous nature?"
Sasuke's eyebrows rose at the content of the scroll, and he hastily opened it. Perfect…the kid might be a good ninja, but he knew nothing as far as running a village went. Kisame, if he played this right, could probably eek something good out of the kid. He might even ask for Orochimaru…simply for sake of revenge.
"I like the alliance, and I like the sound of your prisoners. However, I would have to see what shape they're in and judge their demeanor before I decide."
"Tell ya what," Hidan growled. "Since you made us wait for twenty fuckin' minutes, I'll let you keep your liver and a few bucks, and scram with Itachi. Sound fair?"
Sasori sighed. "Hidan, who let you come anyway? I thought Pein put you under house arrest."
Hidan muttered something inaudible about "damn bastard shoulda kept his frickin paws off my chili cheese dog" and fell silent. Sasori turned to Sasuke, a confident, yet calm gleam in his eyes. "Give us your opinion, and we'll meet you somewhere in the middle," he said slowly. "But if we can't reach an agreement, think of what you're up against as far as we go."
Perfect. He was hinting at something bigger that wouldn't really hit Sasuke until later. Then, it would naw at him from the inside out for a while, wearing him down until he finally consented. It would also soften him up for a bigger blow.
"Well, how about the alliance and a small bit of money?" Sasuke offered. "I'm not sure if I want to kill him or not, so make your decisions fast."
Kisame glanced at Sasori, then at Hidan. Hidan nodded once and stood up, leaving the room. Sasuke watched him go, but asked no questions. Ah, wonderful. The brat really was clueless as to running a village, making deals, the like. Akatsuki never intended to give Sasuke anything. Their plan was to get Itachi back for as little as possible-that was why Hidan was there. Make it seem like h wasn't supposed to, so Sasuke would think less of it when he left the negotiations.
"Hold it."
Hidan froze, swore, and sat down again. He slouched down in his seat and began to mope, muttering and making a scene. Kisame sighed. Hidan had given up way too easily. Sasuke then stood up and went into the hallway, seemingly conversing with someone outside. Kisame caught Itachi's name among the words spoken. Sasori leaned over towards him.
"Go for the alliance and a small sum of money," Sasori hissed. "We can always go back to Pein-sama and find out a way to rip him off. Just demand Itachi now or no deal!"
Kisame nodded and waited for Sasuke to come back and sit down. He didn't want to seem desperate; he wanted to remain in control of the situation. When Sasuke finally came back, he was actually the first to speak.
"Kabuto wanted to know if he should get Itachi now, but I told him to wait until I had the money and the signatures for the alliance. So, I suggest you go back and get those before you start demanding things from me."
Sasuke had a damnable smirk on his face, and Kisame silently cursed him for his sudden intellect. Well, it was probably whoever Sasuke had spoken to. Kabuto. Of course. Why did the kid have to be so damn smart? Kisame sighed and stood up, and Sasori and Hidan did the same.
"We'll be back," Sasori said. "You may expect us in three day's time."
Sasuke nodded and rose, motioning to the door. "Tayuya will show you out," he said. The girl from earlier was standing by the door again, half-asleep. She jerked awake at her name, and shook her head to wake herself up. Sasuke peeled off in the opposite direction, and Kisame left defeated.
OOOOOOOOO
Kabuto stood by Itachi's door, making sure no one else made it in behind his back. Once Akatsuki was gone, he would leave. He had gently taken Orochimaru away only a few minutes ago, hiding the sannin in his own room with the Sound Five to try to calm him down. Itachi was still kneeling down in the room, arms twisted up over his head and chained together at the wrist. Kabuto could see that he had fought; blood ran down his pale flesh, from his neck to his ankles. The tiny rivulets had to be driving him crazy…Kabuto sighed lightly at the thought of what he was doing to Itachi. And seeing Orochimaru so distraught was bound to screw him up a bit more…Kabuto knew it had really hit him hard. Itachi's eyes, stil visible from when Orochimaru had torn off the blindfold, were cast downward and held genuine fear and sadness: Kabuto never thought he would ever live to see the day Uchiha Itachi was broken and trembling on the floor in a dungeon cell, let alone by his own hand, but apparently, it was possible.
He heard Sasuke scream down to him that he could go now, but something kept Kabuto pinned to the spot. Itachi had slowly deteriorated over the last week: he had probably earned his tear by now. But if the tears threatening him now were any indication, Itachi would be messed up for life.
Kabuto slowly pushed open the door, wincing at the harsh metallic grate. He saw Itachi glance up, and noticed the two clean streaks on his cheeks. He sighed, but held firm and knelt down before Itachi. The once proud Uchiha's head bowed in submission, and Kabuto was surprised again at the words that spilled from his full, pretty lips.
"What do you want from me?"
Kabuto almost recoiled, but reached out and touched Itachi's cheek, feeling the desperate sadness spilled there. Itachi visibly shivered at his touch, and Kabuto could swear he heard a whimper.
"You've already taken everything!!" Itachi suddenly cried. "What more can you take away from me?! You have taken my lover, my pride, my sanity, and my virginity! My dignity has been stripped away, trampled underfoot. My entire life was stolen from me! What else can you possibly want?!"
Itachi found himself hysterical, and trying-in vain-to restrain his tears. Pearls of sorrow slid down his pale, beaten face, wiping away a tiny amount of the blood, dirt, and grime that was plastered to Itachi's face. "You even took my brother," he whispered. "I couldn't…I couldn't save him. I tried, but he…I didn't have enough left. At first, I thought he would save me…but then I found myself collared, chained, and raped, and you can't even tell me what else you want? What else do I have left to give?!" Itachi fell silent, a choked sob bursting from his throat. When it all boiled down to it, he was only nineteen. Still young, tender, and unprepared for the world at hand. His shoulders shook with the force of his tears, but he somehow managed to keep quiet.
"Goddammit, answer me!!"
Kabuto sighed and pulled the teardrop from his kunai pouch, slowly reaching out and sliding it through one of the holes in the collar around Itachi's neck.
Itachi knew this was it. He was done; he was broken. This was it. The constant beatings, lack of food, minimal water, rapes, and seclusion, had all caught up with him. He was truly broken now. Kabuto reached out and touched Itachi's face, getting a shocked reaction and a gasp of fear.
"When is this all going to end?" Itachi whispered, lowering his head again. Unbound, matted hair fell across his shoulders and face, smearing the dampness of tears. "When will I reach the end?"
"Covet the end," Kabuto murmured in return, standing up. "Because it awaits you, and will embrace you fully when you reach it."
"Covet the end," Itachi said softly, "Because it holds peace and eternal rest."
A/N: In case you didn't get the last line, Itachi is saying that he envies those with the ability to fly free or get to the end-he thinks that the end for him will be when he dies. He thinks that the future for him is death, and that is why he envies the end-it will bring him to rest and possible retribution. Title comes in here-covet the end? Itachi envies death. : ) Depressing, no? Well, review and you can all see if Itachi gets his wish!
