Chapter 11: SITUATIONS
Back at their hotel suite Sasuke sulked in the living area watching a movie he didn't care about. His mind was a buzzing hive of angry bees as he thought about Masami's display at the underground fighting rink. He was shown up by a girl a whole head shorted than him, and half his size. Working in her bedroom Masami filled out the paperwork of her last assignment that Kakuzu was nagging her for. She had just finished when her phone rang, it was Itachi. Again. He had called her three times after Sasuke and her had landed in Suna, and twice before they left to meet Kankuro. Picking up her new cellphone Masami stepped out of her room and walked to the kitchen area glaring at Sasuke as she purposely past in front of the television. He returned the look.
"You've reached the spiritual entity that was once Masami please leave your messege after the beep." She answered her phone as she stepped into the kitchen. She searched the provided fidge full of food and drinks and decided on a glass of champagne that was hidden behind a carton of milk.
A groan sounded from the other end of the line followed by, "That's not funny." Itachi wasn't happy with her greeting.
"There was no beep, your messege was not received." She joked as she pulled the champagne from the fridge and sat it on the counter in search of a glass.
"Masami, please." He sighed and she could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose in frustation. The thought brought a small smile to her lips.
"Fine." She said finding no champagne flutes so she settled for a highball glass. "So why the late call? It's past midnight." She inquired setting the glass down.
"I figured you were still awake. I was simply checking in." He replied in his usual casual tone.
"Checking up." She corrected. "I'm not on a mission. I am on a trip. With your crazed brother no less." She added wedging her phone between her ear and shoulder while fighting to pop the top off the bottle.
"Sasuke? Did he do something?" Itachi asked suddenly serious and concerned.
Before Masami could answer Sasuke bound into the room and snatched her cellphone excitement lighting his dark eyes.
"Onii-chan?" He said leaving the kitchen. She scoffed ignoring him as she returned to opening the bottle.
"No she jumped in, and I was doing fine." Sasuke defended from the living area.
Masami laughed to herself as the top finally popped off shooting out of the doorway and into the other room. Sasuke cursed inspite of his conversation. Walking back to the kitchen Sasuke glared at her and tossed the cap at her. It hit her shoulder bouncing off and landing on the counter next to her glass.
"She perfectly fine." Sasuke said into her phone as she stuck her tongue out at him. "Drinking in fact." He added.
Masami turned to the counter pouring a tall glass of champagne while the echo of another voice sounded from the doorway. It came from the cellphone, Itachi was yelling. Ordering Sasuke to do something.
"Alright, okay . . . I got it . . . Yes onii-chan." Sasuke said between his brother's yelling. Hanging up he looked at Masami who was holding the glass to her lips. "Don't." He ordered her like Itachi would have.
A smirk crossed her face as she tipped the glass back taking a hardy drink. Stepping across the threshold Sasuke grabbed the drink and pulled it away from her. Before she could protest he dumped the contents down the drain.
"It's just a drink. Can't you just ignored Itachi's orders. I do most of the time and look I'm still breathing." Barely. She added mentally. Sasuke shook his head as he continued to dispose of the alcohol by pouring the bottle down the sink. Masami sighed at him as she ran her fingures through her hair.
"God, you Uchiha men are so stubborn!" She growled as she stomped out of the small kitchen. "The whole lot of ya." She hissed at the same moment a knock sounded at the suite door. Sasuke began moving to answer it but Masami shot him a death glare that stopped him.
"I got it, buzz-kill." Masami stated turning for the door. She opened the white painted door with a sour expression. Standing in the hall was a tall darkly dressed man with glasses and a short gray ponytail. A devilish smile on his face as he reguarded Masami with a dark gleam in his even darker eyes.
"Mochizuki-chan, good you're in." He said in an overly kind tone that sent a chill down her spine.
"Who are you?" Masami inquired crossing her arms over her chest.
"Yakushi Kabuto, do call me Kabuto." He smiled at her with a respectful bow of his head.
Masami stared at him, trying to place his face. She'd seen him before, but where she wondered.
"What do you want?" She asked keeping her back straight and her tone level. 'Must not look weak in front of others' her father's voice echoed in her head.
"I've been sent with a messege. May I enter?" Kabuto asked and like an over protective bodyguard, Sasuke was at her side all serious just like Itachi would be.
"A messege from who?" Sasuke asked.
Kabuto chuckled. "My, my. Uchiha do seem to flock around you, Mochizuki-chan." Both Masami and Sasuke's eyes narrowed at him.
"Answer the question now, Kabuto, or you won't like my hospitality." She replied with her sugar sweet smile.
His smile faded and he nodded. Using his pointer finger to push his glasses back up the bridge of his narrow nose, he became serious. All good humor gone as he spoke, "Shame about Akasuna no Sasori. Even bigger shame about your Lord Pein. I hear he's been over thrown by someone your age."
"What?" Masami exclaimed bemused.
The left side of Kabuto's mouth quirked up. "You didn't know. Nagato no longer runs the Akatsuki, war is close as a child controls the world." He finished.
Sasuke looked down at Masami confused. She bared her teeth as she hissed at their unwelcomed guest, slamming the door in his face.
"Gah!" She yelled turning to Sasuke. "Give me my phone." She demanded holding out her hand.
Sasuke hestitated to long for her. Masami grew even more impatient.
"Damnit Sasuke, this involves Itachi! Give me the fucking phone!" She hissed as she reached into his jeans pocket retreiving her cellphone herself. "Go pack we're leaving." She commanded as her fingers dialed a number.
"What do you mean I can't go home?" Masami exclaimed into her cell. She was pacing the length of the hotel suite couch while Sasuke watched her in bemused confliction.
"It's not safe right now." Itachi replied in his stern work tone. There was no affection to be heard. "Stay away from Konoha until things calm down. People are rising against the new leader trying to figure out how he gained power."
"It's simple! Hyuga bought his way to the top." Masami hissed clenching her free hand into a tight fist, nails digging into the fleshy part of her palm. "Now he's after revenge."
"You leave quite an impression." Itachi tried to joke but his cold tone betrayed him.
"Really? You're gonna blame me for this?" She growled beyond angry. Yes Masami hated the Akatsuki, but Nagato ran it well. Always serious, respectible, but also respective when it came to his loyal members. Hyuga Neji was clearly not that type of leader. He was going to ruin the Akatsuki and bring about a war in the underground society.
"No I'm not." Itachi denied sounding frustrated. "Just stay away until I call you. Don't stay in one place too long. I'm sending Deidara to you tonight, have Sasuke return home. My parents don't need to worry about him." He explained while the sound of an engine roared to life in the background.
"Got it. Goodbye." Masami groaned. Anger, frustration, exhaustion, and hopelessness were all jammed into those three words. She was about to hang up when Itachi called her name.
"What?" She sighed as she stopped pacing. Her head hanging back eyes closed and shoulders tense. Sasuke's midnight eyes widened in almost fear.
"I love you, Masami." Itachi stated.
"Goodbye." She said exasperated and hung up.
The engagement ring on Masami's left hand suddenly felt like it was on fire. Burning her finger trying to get free from her. It didn't belong too her: rightfully. It shouldn't be on her finger, it was more than a lie. It was a symbol of revenge. She wanted to get back at her father for setting her up, for bringing her into such a shitty world. She wanted revenge on herself too. For not confronting Sasori before he died, for all the times she hurt someone with her body, and for always being the weak link in the Konoha division. Her engagement to Itachi was her escape plan, use the caring Uchiha as a sheild from the hell that was consuming her. Rebel against her family, delude herself in a fantasy where Sasori was only a dream and where she could pretend to be perfect -a prefect wife, a perfect daughter-in-law, a perfect killer, a perfect interogater, a perfect symbol of the Akatsuki Organization.
But reality was sinking in and laughing in her face. She couldn't keep up the lie, not to Mikoto. Not to the sweet woman who loved her sons so. Masami could not bare the guilt to see the beautiful and pure woman hurt by Masami's selfishness.
With another sigh Masami shoved her cellphone into her jeans pocket before facing Sasuke. He was eager for answers and she didn't blame him.
"You head back to Konoha when Deidara arrives." She told him as she ran a frustrated hand through her hair. The ring tangling in a purple lock and she pulled it out ignoring the pinching pain in her scalp. "Return this to your mother. Tell her I'm really sorry." She added as she tossed him the ring.
Sasuke caught the jewelry in his left hand as he stood staring at her like he had just seen a ghost . . . Or maybe God. His eyes light up like he was pleased, but at the same time disgusted.
"What about onii-chan?" He questioned pocketing the ring.
"I'll talk to him." Is all she answered as she moved towards her room. Her head ached, her muscles felt like melting butter and her bones like springs. She was tired and wound up tighter that piano strings, like the pounds of tension were going to pull her apart and have her cave in on herself.
"That's it? You walk into his life, wrap him around you finger, then toss him aside when things get rough." Sasuke accused and Masami paused in her doorway. Not now. She groaned in her head.
"I thought you didn't want a bipolar slut involved with your brother?" She replied flatly.
"I don't, but it's what he wants." He shot and Masami could feel the venom in his words against her skin. It stung and ate away at her like a nagging pest.
"We don't always get what we want Sasuke, and it only puts the world into perspective. Goodnight." Were her final words before stepping inside her room and shutting the door behind her.
Masami dressed for bed in an oversize t-shirt, and climbed into the billowy sheets burrying her head under the overstuffed pillows to drown out the noisy traffic below. She wanted sleep, needed it, but she hadn't packed the sleeping pills Itachi shoved down her throat, and her perfect relaxment was no longer around. Alcohol was an option but she didn't want to face Sasuke again, too emotionally tired to fight him. Why did her mind hate her so much? Why couldn't she sleep like a normal girl? Dream of happy things, or not at all. Stark blackness was fine with her. She just craved rest.
She craved many things:
Rest.
Normality.
A touch . . .
No, his touch. His smile, his care, his boring taste in frozen dairy treats.
Tears sprang to her eyes. Sobs convulsed through her body like an untamed beast. And Masami cried. Cried for Sasori. Cried for the Uchiha family. Cried for no other reason but to cry until her body crumbled into bone crushing unconsciousness. It wasn't restful or relaxing. It was a jail in which her mind attacked her with her own faults, with everything she ever had done wrong. Starting with falling in love with her sensei and ending with meeting Itachi's parents. Along the way there was her losing her virginity drunkenly to Itachi, teasing Sasuke, every person she ever killed, all the lies she used to numb the void she created in her heart by loving a man she knew would never love such a tainted child.
The torture seemed endless as each and every fault was displayed to her like a slide show. Masami was welcoming death when someone shook her awake disspelling the horrid curse that she had succumb to.
"It's okay, Masami. I'm here." Fake-Sasori said calmly as she woke. Realizing the action was only a ghost of what onced happened in the past when she was younger.