AN: Hello dearly beloved readers!!!!!!A-and let's start with some NEW WARNINGS, YEAH!! So, this chapter includes…. *tattarattaa*: implied Uchihacest!!! (yeah, you heard right…;) And very subtle NaruSasu and not so subtle PeinIta, so don't be put off… :)
I also want to apologize for the long update… and the shorter chap than usual. To be honest I've been shit-faced for most of the holidays (I mean who can tolerate their family for so long sober?!? ;) and out of the reach of civilization incl. my laptop… And let's add a serious writer's block to that and you've got the picture…
(((And-and-and… I have a ghastly confession to make… I've gone astray a bit and betrayed my favorite couple by falling in love with the most unsightly couple ever, which have distracted me and hindered my motivation to continue this… And it's not even a Naruto-couple!!! -bows down head in shame and coffs-; Zaraki Kenpachi and Kurotsuchi Mayuri from Bleach… I know: I have serious problems! Apparently involving old, ugly, weird-ass men as well! XD I might write my next fanfic about them! GAAAAH!!)))
Also, the plot is getting so fucking thick evenI have difficulties remembering who did what-what in who's what-what with who-who!?! XD (Or then I just hit my head one time too many on the slopes! I do look like a Dalmatian… gone wrong that is! ) So I have to try and keep everything ermm… straight… or rather wonky in this case! ;)
This chapter was definitely the most difficult one to write so far, believe it or not… SO Please, please comment on it as I'd like to know where I'm going! And millions of "squeazy-hug-filled thank-yous" for reviewing and commenting earlier chaps! I LOVE YOU!!!
~Insomniac-the-sick-puppy-with-no-medicine-in-sight
Oh well, here goes nothing… Enjoy…
Itachi was standing in front of the stoic Akatsuki leader, whose relentless, cold stare was drilling into the Uchiha's dark orbs. The raven didn't have an enviable task at his hands. He'd basically had to tell his sullen leader that the plot involving Deidara, which he had spent weeks ensnaring, had gone… well… ape's shit.
The dark haired shinobi was shifting his weight from one foot to another, the barely noticeable swaying giving away his slight nervousness. It wasn't that he was wound up because of fear; he just didn't want to reveal anything unnecessary to his already suspicious, bad-tempered leader. Wiggling his way out of the situation unharmed might not be easy as Itachi had no idea of just how much his counterpart knew about the circumstances involving the bigger picture and his undeniable part in it…
They were staring at each other without saying a word. Pein knew already all too well that the news his subordinate was about to deliver were not the ones he'd been hoping to hear. He was waiting for the Uchiha to start and Itachi was waiting for Pein to present a question. To say that the moment was uncomfortable in its static awkwardness would have been a cross understatement.
"Inhale…"
Itachi felt like the air was too motionless, thick and quiet, as if anyone could have heard the roaring sound of his hoarse breath… He felt like he was a subject of an inquisition.
"Be still… "
He tried to convince himself to start the conversation he didn't want to have in the first place
"It cannot be avoided…" Itachi told himself and finally praised himself for the reaction of the evidently resentful red-head.
"Pein-sama…" Itachi started slowly, as if testing if his vocal chords would obey him…
"I'm afraid I have some bad news…" the cliché-like start triggered the highly unpleasant exchange of words between the two, which from there on would precede much like a disastrous avalanche…
"You've obviously been spending too much time with Kisame and expect everybody else to have shit for brains as well!!!" the pierced shinobi was already fuming
"What the FUCK are you doing here with Sasori already?!?! I told you I needed two weeks!!! Which part of my order did you not understand!?!" Pein was unusually irate. And Itachi knew there was more behind his leader's surliness than met the eye…
This would not be easy…
"My most sincere apologies, Pein-sama… I…" Itachi bowed his head to hide his repugnant expression, gritting his teeth"…underestimated Sasori's abilities-"
This fake submissiveness only seemed to add fuel to the already blazing fire… Pein knew that Itachi's behavior was far from 'sincere', the proud Uchiha would not easily admit having any regrets… What was his catch?
"I told you to be aware of him!!! His certain naiveté and madness may fool some but his intelligence is beyond doubt unsurpassed by most! I take it that he's beaten even you… Itachi…?" secretly Pein was taking pleasure from voicing his assumption, his comment making the other feel even more degraded… and judging by the look on the Uchiha's face, he'd definitely hit a sore spot… The pierced ninja was undeniably in an extremely bitter mood and he was taking it all out on the Uchiha…
Pein was usually quite amused by some of his subordinates' almost childlike habit to compete for his favor. Admittedly most of them didn't give a rats ass –like Sasori and Deidara- but few of them seemed to look up to him like to some sort of a fearsome father figure. Pein thought of this as an entertaining minor accessory to his position as the Akatsuki's head, however those who'd seem to compete for the crumbs falling off his table never seemed to be the ones he preferred. But what came to Uchiha Itachi… Pein could never really figure the sly weasel out, despite of sharing his bed occasionally with him... And he hated the fact that the Uchiha –regardless of all his attempts- still remained a mystery to him… One of the reasons why Pein had chosen Itachi as his lover was the fact he didn't trust the raven as far as he could throw him… So it was kind of a "Keep your friends close and your enemy closer… "-situation.
One could say that the two shared a most unconventional relationship. In fact neither of them could ever quite distinguish where the official "leader-subordinate"-relation between them ended and the "not-quite-lovers-but- casual-substitute-sex-toys" behavior started. Although they'd never discussed the matter, it had always been crystal clear to them both that they were only using each other. Perhaps it was the angry sex, the cold dismissals or the lack of tenderness… The two just happened to every now and then find each other physically attractive enough to alleviate their needs with each other. And they both had their ulterior motives for keeping each other in check.
Itachi knew there was no turning back now so he continued talking, despite of his unwillingness to tell the disreputable details of his mission with the puppet master
"Sasori has somehow figured out how to annul the effects of the sharingan. There was no way I could have been prepared for that. I still don't know how he did it…"
"Well… seems like our juvenile-looking member is still improving himself. How about you, Itachi? Are you losing your touch already?" Pein was truly out of sorts. But Itachi knew better than to start an all out argument with him and swallowed his pride… Instead of replying to the venomous insult, he settled for glaring at his leader with a hint of defiance.
"And what the hell was that about taunting Sasori in the first place, couldn't you just 'snuggled up' after fucking him and kept your mouth shut until the mission was over? If you could've just restrained your vile nature for once, none of this would have happened! If I didn't know better, I would almost be forced to think that you are trying to deliberately sabotage the mission…?" Itachi was becoming frightfully aware of the fact that Pein was onto him, as the Uchiha indeed did have his own vested interests, of which he could only hope Pein was unaware of…
"Hmph… Thanks to Konan I reckon we can still save the mission and use Deidara to destroy Konoha. After that old hag of a Hokage and her pain-in-the-ass underlings are out of the way, Akatsuki will be much closer to achieving its goal." Itachi was staring blankly at the wall just behind the figure in front of him, listening to Pein's plans which he was about to crash soon…
"Anyway I managed somehow to convince Sasori that his partner has lost his mind… he's out of our way now. I don't think he completely bought the excuse, but he doesn't need to believe it; he just needs to accept it. And it will be way too comfortable for him not to; he just simply doesn't care enough about that reckless brat to jeopardize everything I'm offering him... his unsullied pride, respectable rank in the organization, the solitude he so craves for, not to mention the unlimited resources for his workshop to feature his beloved art… I've made him an offer far too good to refuse… I know Sasori's heart well enough to rely on that."
Itachi stood there listening to Pein's words, measuring the meaning behind them…
"So, when the brat will commit the suicide-bombing, using his ultimate ability, there will be no questions asked… The reasoning will be without a void. After all, Deidara always swore revenge on you and his hatred towards the Uchihas has never been a secret to anyone. And according to my sources of information…" A certain hint of wickedness flickered in the pierced ninja's tone and expression as he continued
"… your brother still resides in Konoha."
The Uchiha suddenly struggled to keep his unmoved conduct at the mention of his little brother. He had been secretly dreading this moment, knowing it would come, but unwilling to accept it. Ironically he had been the one to preach to others about the power of denial…
"Ototou… "Itachi froze
"My beautiful brother… Would Sasuke have to… die…?" the thought of it made him feel queasy. The conversation was getting more and more unpleasant for him by the minute…
"Shit… I thought I managed to convince him to leave! I knew his friendship with that overly-optimistic, irritating Nine-tails was going to complicate things…" The reason why Itachi had tried to separate the two was not entirely based on jealousy, unlike Sasuke had claimed. The raven had correctly predicted that Naruto would try and convince his brother to stay and it would end up putting him in danger.
Itachi had always tried his best to cover up his affection towards his little brother in order to protect him, to the degree that he had stopped secretly visiting him in fear of exposure quite some time ago. Adopting a highly unpleasant and callous manner towards his comrades was merely a part he was playing to ensure he'd create an impression of a heartless, ruthless bastard who cared about nothing and no-one. Itachi knew that in an organization such as Akatsuki, to have someone important equaled to having a handicap, so the best way to deal with it was to pretend no such thing existed.
His love for his brother had always been in conflict with his other, more political interests and the contradiction between those two driving forces in his life had always perplexed him. It had also been one of the reasons why Sasuke had bitterly refused to obey Itachi's wishes for him to leave Konoha; he felt that he always came second in Itachi's life, after his other objectives and that his big brother had abandoned him because of his ambitions came first in his priority.
"Foolish ototou… It has always been about you…It has always been all for you…"
Now the Uchiha wasn't quite so sure anymore that he had succeeded in keeping his secret and it was far too late for discovering how fateful consequences a possible disclosure would result in. After all he knew Pein had been monitoring some of the members of Akatsuki quite regularly… what would make him think he was an exception? Quite the opposite; he knew that his and his leader's affair was mainly based on mutual distrust…
Pein was watching his interlocutors impression closely now with increasing interest. The red-head had his hands clasped behind his back while pacing around his room in his usual manner –walking around always helped him parse his thoughts better. He stopped to glare at Itachi purposefully under his brow as he lowered his voice to poke around the obviously sensitive subject
"I've heard rumors… that there was some… specific reason why you let your brother live? Hm?"
Itachi cursed silently in his head. He did not want to discuss the matter with Pein… not now… not ever! Since his leader had let him in on the plan of the destruction of Konoha, he'd always sort of closed his eyes from the fact that Sasuke might get trampled in the process, but now he could no longer escape the fact that it might just end up being the case.
If Deidara would strike Konoha with all his might, there was no chance of any living thing surviving it. Knowing Pein's wicked mind, it was clear to Itachi his leader was testing his loyalty and devotion… as much towards the Akatsuki as towards himself. Pein didn't want Itachi for anything but his own selfish purposes, however he was egoistic enough to get pissed off if the Uchiha rated someone above him. He had refused to sacrifice his brother before… would he do it now? For Akatsuki? For… him? One could interpret the test as a kind of twisted act of jealousy…
Itachi decided it was best to dodge the subject… He hardened his expression as he responded obediently
"I have no ties to that person, or a reason to protect the bantling. He's just a foolish kid and no interest to me." could he have lied any more… He could only pray that Pein's obvious doubts were based on pure assumptions and rumors which could be easily deemed empty…
"I see…" the leader was secretly smiling, noticing the poorly hidden anguish on Itachi's face.
What the Uchiha failed to understand was that Pein was counting on Sasuke's death to be a massive blow to his big brother; it was the core of his flawless reasoning and a perfect way for him to wash his hands clean of Deidara's death, or one could say heavily assisted suicide. It would seal the credibility around the story of the insane bomber blowing himself up in Konoha to kill his archenemy's beloved little brother for revenge. Like this Pein could hit two birds with one stone; get rid of his lover's primary subject of interest and make sure Akatsuki would not find out that he used the members of the organization as ruthlessly as he did, consequently making him look innocent.
Pein walked behind Itachi and draped his arms around the younger man's chest, pressing his mouth against the other's ear he whispered softly
"You know… We all have to make sacrifices… I did…" the ginger head savored his partner's reaction of shock and repugnance. His reference to his own sacrifice being obviously Itachi's one night stand with Sasori, which Pein had –as a matter of fact- instigated himself …
"Don't worry… I'll be here for you…"Pein carried on whispering with sadistic sarcasm in his voice. The factitious words creating more feelings of disgust than comforting in his partner…
As Itachi just kept on standing there like a statue, staring at the wall, Pein loosened his grip around him and continued talking with a less personally invasive manner
"Well… despite of the few draw-backs" he carried on while casually pacing around the room again
"we seem to be quite well on our way to completing the task… Deidara can still and will be sacrificed for the greater good. It's a shame as despite of his attitude he is a talented kid, but it can't be denied that… he's most useful to us dead."
"Pein-sama…" Itachi interrupted now with a surprisingly humbled tone
"What?" Pein shifted his eyes in annoyance as if someone would have interrupted him from daydreaming.
"To what extend does Deidara know about his blood-line limit?" the Uchiha asked with a sudden, underlying excitement in his quiet tone as if the dark haired man had suddenly had an epiphany. The raven had indeed just realized that he could turn the dynamics of the conversation around for his benefit.
The question threw the red-head obviously off his track of thoughts and took him by surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean…" the raven's affliction had grown unusually flurry as he'd became aware that his knowledge and how he'd manage to present it, could save the situation for him… and more importantly for his brother
"Does Deidara know he possesses the power to wipe out a whole metropolis in one blow, making the ground uninhabitable for centuries due to the after effects?!?" Itachi didn't even notice the volume of his voice rising as he spoke with escalating speed
"He will… of that I'm sure! And when the time is right he shall use his powers to do as I wish!" Pein replied, irked yet slightly puzzled by Itachi's concerns. He had a nasty feeling that someone was about to piss on his bonfire, so to speak… He was quiet for a moment, observing the ostensibly worried Uchiha…
"Why?" he asked suddenly, a frown forming on his forehead "Why are you suddenly so worried? Tell me what you know!!" Pein was getting impatient by the raven's insinuations
The Uchiha hesitated for a moment, he knew he'd have to play his cards right. If Pein would discover he'd had his share in undermining the mission, he'd be as good as dead. But he also knew that after the victim of an attempted brainwash becomes aware of the method he's exposed to, it is practically impossible to succeed in the task. With such malicious intentions brought to the subject's knowledge, his inevitable hatred and loathing towards his captors would be too great for him to ever obey them or be their allies. And in the worst case…
Itachi knew he would have to spill out the truth. And he also realized this could be his chance to save Sasuke and stop the mission. He thanked his lucky stars that Deidara had somehow found out about the brainwashing technique and that he had no part in the blonde discovering the truth. At that he lost all his hesitation.
"Pein-sama! Deidara has somehow become aware about our intentions. He knows that we have been using the brainwashing method on him! We have no choice but to abort the mission immediately and eliminate the subject!"
"Wh-WHAT?!?! HOLD ON!!! WHAT!!! THE!!! FFFUUUUUCCK!!!????!?!?!?" Itachi could feel the force of Pein's breath on his face as he was screaming from the bottom of his lungs outraged. The raven knew there was nothing else to do but to wait for the storm to pass… no matter how unpleasant it may be and quite frankly he had never seen his leader that pissed off. The pierced shinobi truly looked as if his head was about to explode.
"How in the hell did you manage to fuck this up beyond all recognition!?!?! What kind of bunch of imbeciles am I dealing with here?!?" Itachi was struggling not to roll his eyes as he knew that it was most likely Pein who'd made the mistake. After all he was the only person who had been handling the communication with Deidara during his isolation.
As soon as the storm had hit, it had blown away. And the room was quiet again. The Akatsuki leader had a bad, volatile temper, but he knew that shouting would not do any good and usually re-composed himself surprisingly rapidly, considering the force of the explosion. After he'd vented his worst rage, he started rationalizing and re-calculating the circumstances again to adjust his plans.
"Okay… tell me exactly what you know about Deidara's situation… If we are careful we might still be able to save the situation…"
Itachi flinched in surprise
"Pein-sama… If we cannot use his powers to our own purposes he might turn them against us. We cannot risk that. You know that he is a psychopath, there's no guarantee on how he will react! On top of that Deidara's ties to this organization are at least to say rather loose. It would be better to get rid of him before-"
"Itachi!" the older ninja interrupted, clearly irritated by the objections "I know what I'm doing. Now you could for once do as you are told!"
Despite of Pein's ominous, aggressive behavior Itachi added quietly, shaking his head lightly his eyes fixed to the floor
"You are playing with fire…"
"Itachi… you forgot something… " Pein smiled as he turned to face the shaken Uchiha "We still have the puppet…"
"Huh?" Itachi uttered in surprise
"I know you have proof of yours and Sasori's last night together… if you have followed your orders correctly, that is…?" Pein smirked
"I…" Itachi was struggling to comprehend how on earth had the master of manipulation managed to turn the situation around again…
Pein closed the distance between the two, he was relieved and in much better humour after he'd realize he would still have his way… He was now so close to the dark haired younger man, Itachi could feel every contour of the ginger's body against his. The raven knew what would happen next… he had no choice but to play along
"What can I say…? I've always had a bit of a weakness for red-heads…" he managed to mumble before his lover shut him up with his lips. And there, that was where their "leader-subordinate"-relation between them would end this time and the "not-quite-lovers-but- casual-substitute-sex-toys" behaviour would start…
Pein's hands met Itachi's slender hips and slid along the younger man's body. Itachi felt exhausted but didn't want to turn down his lover in fear of creating more suspicion.
"The recording combined with your Mangekyo Sharingan could really push the boy over the edge… and the truth would not be that far off from fiction. Do you have the tape on you?" Pein asked petting the raven's dark locks eagerly with rising excitement in his voice…
"… yes…"
"Play it for me… " the red-head panted in the Uchiha's ear while starting to frantically remove the raven's clothes "…now…"
Itachi did as he was told… this time more reluctantly than ever. He felt guilty and disgusted about his sordid affairs. As his cruel lover kept on selfishly invading him, he thought bitterly that at least with Sasori he could almost pretend he was with the only one he truly desired…
It's over! This difficult, difficult chap! YESSSSS!…So, Itachi's not all that bad…I kinda wanted to keep this short but explain some of the motives behind the characters' actions and deepen them… (BTW; go figure why Konan is so pissed at Itachi! Hahahaaa! XD I should become a soap-opera writer perhaps…? )
I know you are eager for some DeiSaso and I PROMISE next chapter is going to be about them… It's all going to be worth it… umm… I hope… Sometimes I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you… :O I'll try and conquer this stupid insecurity and writer's block and tackle the next chap asap! LOVE YOU BYE~