Always and Forever

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Mangekyo Sharingan: One needs to feel the trauma of losing a loved one to activate the Mangekyo Sharingan, but I feel that that the trauma of seeing his Mate wounded would be sufficient to activate the Mangekyo as well. This story will eventually diverge radically from canon and I view this as tweak as helpful to the plot.

Chapter 11

Itachi woke up and slowly opened his eyes. He blinks when he realizes that he wasn't in as much pain as usual. That's when he takes in his surroundings and realizes he was in a hospital.

"Damn Kisame." The elder Uchiha brother curses under his breath.

He wasn't certain who he was more angry with. Kisame or himself. How could he have lowered his guard enough for his partner to drag him off to a hospital? His illness must be progressing faster than he had anticipated, he muses.

"Don't damn Kisame, me. You're lucky that I took you here. You might not have lasted the night otherwise. I know that you have your heart set on playing the Martyr, but you aren't going to at this rate. You'll die way before Sasuke can kill you. And did you forget, there's a chance he might not want to kill you anymore?" The other Akatsuki reasons.

"You still talk far too much." Itachi states in a deadpanned voice.

Kisame sighs and shakes his head. The elder Uchiha brother had to be the most stubborn man that he had ever met. That was saying something because it looked like Sasuke was also pretty stubborn.

"In addition to the freaky eye thing and the good looks, it looks like all Uchihas are pigheaded. That or you are both Masochists." The former Mist Ninja observes.

"I don't know if I'm a Masochist, but I am feeling rather sadistic at the moment towards you." Itachi warns him.

"Good! If you are feeling well enough to want to smack me around, that means that the doctors worked some magic." Kisame says cheerfully.

Itachi shakes his head in amusement. He should be furious with Kisame and he was, but he was too similar to a child. A child that thought he had managed to successfully stolen a cookie from the cookie jar. There was something annoyingly endearing about it really.

"I suppose that is one way to look at it. Perhaps you did the right thing. If you were able to take me here, that's a bad sign. I can't believe that I didn't wake up." He mutters.

"You were dead to the world, Itachi. You really needed the rest. I mean it when I say that you don't have to die. Sasuke might forgive you. He might not, but at least now he knows the truth. That's something, right?" The Akatsuki member reasons.

The smoky eyed ninja sighs. He had no idea what he was going to do about Sasuke. Sooner or later, he would have to confront him though. Had Sasuke forgiven him or did he still want to kill him?

Now Kisame had inadvertently made things even more difficult for Sasuke. Before he knew the truth, his brother had been faced with a clear task. Kill a killer. Now, he knew that Itachi hadn't conducted the massacre of his own free will. That was a lot more morally ambiguous.

"I suppose that's something. I'm not entirely certain if it's a good thing though." He informs Kisame.

Kisame shakes his head. He smiles and kisses Itachi's forehead. He knew that it was a cheap move. His partner wasn't exactly in a position to resist the fairly chaste gesture.

"Get some rest. You are going to need it. You can't hide from him forever. Sasuke is going to have to choose his path for himself." He says.

"And if he chose to kill me, would you stand in his way? Would you attack him?" Itachi whispers.

The shark toothed man pauses. He honestly didn't know the answer to that. He wanted to respect Itachi's wishes. But at the same time, he didn't think that he could stand idly by and watch the other man die.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out when we get there." He answers him.

"That's not particularly reassuring. Still I suppose it doesn't matter at this precise moment. I still need to allow the treatment to take its course before we set off. I hope you do realize that this was just a temporary fix. I would need much longer-term care, for my illness to be completely cured." The former Leaf Ninja warns him.

Kisame nods. He knew that. Itachi's sickness was not one that could be cured overnight. Still this was an important first step. It might not have saved his life, but it had certainly bought him some badly needed time.

"Yeah. Yeah. I know. Get some rest. You are going to need it." He instructs Itachi.

"Alright. You are insane, by the way. Sometimes I wonder if I'm not the only one with a death wish. I can't believe that you kidnapped me to get me medical treatment." The younger man muses as he closes his eyes and dozes off.

Kisame couldn't argue with that. He knew that he was crazy. Hell, he had been crazy before he met Itachi. Now that he was in love, he was definitely insane. That didn't bother him though. Being normal was boring.


Meanwhile back in the Sound Village, Sasuke was awoken to the sounds of a battle. His blurry eyes look around in confusion, when he realizes he was 'outside.' Orochimaru and Naruto was in the middle of an epic battle and must have destroyed the room at some point.

"Naruto?" He asks in a stunned voice as he witnesses his Mate trade blows with the Legendary Sannin.

"You should be grateful to me. Without Kabuto injecting that aphrodisiac into Sasuke, you two never would have Mated. Do you realize the enormous scientific value of your Mating? There is so much that can be learned about the Tailed Beasts! If you would stop allowing your emotions to rule you, you would see what a golden opportunity this is." The dark haired ninja says as he narrowly dodges Naruto's fist.

"So this is the power of the Mating Bond," Sasuke thinks to himself. He could FEEL Naruto's rage. It was hard to articulate. It was flowing through him and yet somehow he knew that those murderous feelings were not his own. He just knew instinctively that other presence in his mind was Naruto.

Naruto was acting more like a wild animal than a person at the moment. His tails were slashing around maliciously and occasionally one would make contact with Orochimaru's skin. The scent of blood and burned flesh hung heavily in the air.

"Naruto, forget him. It doesn't matter how we became Mates, just that we are." He manages to say after recovering from his shock.

Naruto pauses in his fury for a moment. That had definitely been Sasuke's voice. He turns his head towards his Mate. That's when he makes a grunt of pain.

Sasuke's eyes widen in horror. Orochimaru had just shoved a sword through his stomach. Oh God! Was that a fatal wound?! Sasuke stood in shock as he watched blood gush from the injury. A lot of blood.

"Naruto!" He calls out as he felt Naruto's shock and pain.

"Now, now. Look what you made me do. I really didn't want it to come to that. Kabuto, make sure to treat his injury. Perhaps he'll feel more reasonable afterward. That or finish the job. Perhaps Naruto has simply become too much of a liability to justify keeping around." Orochimaru says as he removes his sword and licks the bloody blade.

Sasuke felt his eyes bleed red. His body moved on its own. In a flash, he had charged at Orochimaru with a Chidori formed in his hand. He didn't even remember forming it. He just reacted instinctively.

"We made a deal. My body for the power to kill Itachi. That deal never included you having permission to touch HIM." Sasuke snarls as he drives his Chidori straight through Orochimaru's heart.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was aware of the sensation of blood spraying all over him. It wasn't enough though. He wanted to make sure that there was no chance that Orochimaru would ever be able to touch his blonde again. He literally tears his heart out.

"What have you done?!" Kabuto screams at him.

"I killed him. He shouldn't have attacked Naruto. Now you are going to tend to Naruto's injuries or you will be next." Sasuke hisses at him.

His snowy white shirt was now crimson red. Stained with Orochimaru's lifeblood. He watches as the Legendary Sannin's body fell lifelessly to the ground.

Sasuke watches in disgust and glances at Naruto. He tilts his head at the blue eyed Jinchuuriki and gestures for him to go with the medic. Sasuke had to make sure that Orochimaru wouldn't come back.

"Naruto, go with him. He'll fix your injuries. I'll deal with the corpse." He tells him.

Surprisingly, the blonde went without arguing. Kabuto stares forlornly at Orochimaru's body. Sasuke smirks. Serves him right. In his mind, the silver haired medic deserved to grieve the loss of his former mentor. The bastard had drugged him after all.

Sasuke quickly disposes of Orochimaru's body. He burns it and collects the ashes into a jar. While he knew that there was value in the Sannin's body, he also didn't want to give him a chance to revive. No matter how slight it was.

"He was obsessed with immorality. There is no telling what he did to ensure that it would be almost impossible for him to die." He mutters as he goes to check on Naruto.

Kabuto eyes Sasuke warily, after he treats Naruto. Orochimaru was dead. There was no telling what either of them were planning. His eyes narrow when he notices the jar filled with ashes that was peeking slightly over Sasuke's ninja pouch.

"You didn't even have the decency to bury him?!" The medic thunders.

"Of course not. I knew him. He might have found a way to come back to life. I wasn't going to take any chances. Tell me Kabuto, do you wish to join him?" Sasuke seethes.

Nartuo blinks. There was something different about Sasuke's Sharingan. It looked different than how it used to be.

"Sasuke, what happened to your eyes?" The blonde asks.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan. I have no idea how you activated that. You didn't kill your best friend. It should have been impossible." The silver haired man states.

Sasuke quickly glances at his reflection in the mirror. It was true. His Sharingan had been altered in physical appearance.

"Naruto, we are going to rest here for a few days. You need time to recover from your wounds and I will see what I can find about the Mangekyo. Then we are leaving." Sasuke informs him.

"Where are we going?" Naruto asks in confusion.

"To find Itachi. It will take me some time to get used to the Mangekyo. I want to do that before we find him. I imagine it's going to take us awhile to track him down. We are going to need a team. As much as I loathe Kabuto, he's coming with us. His medical knowledge will be extremely valuable." The youngest Uchiha replies.

Kabuto looks at Sasuke like he was out of his mind. He was not going with them. He had to escape the two crazy lovers.

"Oh no you aren't. You aren't going anywhere Four Eyes." Naruto says as he knocks Kabuto unconscious.

"Nicely done." Sasuke says with approval.

"Thanks. Let's get you some clean clothes. You know it was kinda hot how you just ripped his heart out because you were angry at him for hurting me, but the bloody shirt is a mood killer." Naruto says cheerfully.

Sasuke shakes his head in amusement. Naruto was probably insane. Then again, so was he. He supposed it didn't matter. They had each other. That was what was most important.

"I'll go check and maybe take a bath. I'm not that fond of being soaked in his blood either." Sasuke admits and he heads off to do exactly that.

Naruto quickly binds Kabuto in some chakra cuffs. He then follows Sasuke. There was no way that he was going to miss out on a bath with his Mate.


Sasuke sighs in distaste a few minutes later as he throws off his bloody shirt and stores Orochimaru's ashes in a safe place. He was just reaching for his pants, when he saw Naruto approach. He smirks.

"Really? You still want to jump me in the baths, after I just ripped out Orochimaru's heart?" Sasuke asks.

Sasuke was still getting the hang of this Mating Bond thing. As far as he could tell, he could feel what Naruto was feeling. Well as long as it was a strong emotion. He decides to experiment with it later.

Right now, one emotion was coming in loud and clear. His Mate was feeling rather aroused. The raven haired ninja felt himself shiver slightly. Feeling Naruto's desire, just stirred his own.

"Well like I said, it was kinda hot." Naruto says and Sasuke walks over to him.

"You are weird sometimes. Let me help you get in the bath. Are those waterproof bandages?" Sasuke asks as he glances down at Naruto's bandages.

Naruto nods. Yeah. It was pretty much standard procedure in the Sound Village to only use waterproof bandages when given a choice. Kabuto was good with things like that. He might hate Four Eyes, but he was smart.

"Yeah. They are. Don't worry." Naruto says as Sasuke helps him undress and quickly does the same, before getting into the water.

"I guess I should tell you who I'm planning to join our team. First, I'm going to recruit Suigetsu. He has a special ability to turn into water. He's also an expert with swords. He's a sadistic fuck though. Orochimaru was concerned enough to put him in a tank. He's very rebellious." Sasuke begins.

Naruto raises an eyebrow. He wasn't really sure that was a good idea. If Orochimaru was sufficiently wigged out by the guy to lock him up, he might not be the best ally.

"You sure that's a good idea? I mean the water ability is cool, but he sounds kinda nuts." The blonde argues.

"I know, but he's useful. Next is Karin. She's an excellent Sensory Type and biting her can heal you. Obviously, that's useful in any battle situation. She's acting as a warden to one of the Sound Prisons." Sasuke continues.

The former Leaf Villager considers this. Yeah. That was a pretty neat ability. Karin might be okay. He still wasn't too sure about Suigetsu though.

"Alright. So we are just recruiting two other people then?" He asks.

"No. The final one is Jugo. Jugo is one of the inmates at the prison. He can use his chakra to alter his state, he's also extremely physically strong, and can communicate with animals. Unfortunately, his family's bloodline comes at a price. He has two personalities. One of them is a homicidal manic." Sasuke says casually, as if he was discussing a mildly annoying storm instead of a deadly second personality.

The Jinchuuriki frowns. Those were some pretty cool abilities. Still he couldn't help but feel that guy might be an even bigger pain in the ass than Suigetsu.

"Sasuke, two of those people sound like loose cannons. Are you sure?" Naruto asks.

"I'm positive. They can help us. Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." Sasuke informs him and kisses his Mate.

Naruto was vaguely aware that his Mate was just trying to distract him with kisses. Unfortunately, he couldn't' deny that that shit worked. He soon deepens it and pushes Sasuke against the side of the baths.

Sasuke smiles into the kiss and returns it with equal passion. He'd never get tired of this. The fact that he could feel Naruto's enjoyment only added to his own. God help him, when they actually had sex.

"I love you, Sasuke. That's why I want you to be careful. Don't do stupid things that will get you killed for no reason." The blonde chides him.

"I love you too. I still don't know what I'm going to do with Itachi, but I know I have to find him." The dark haired ninja admits.

Naruto sighs. He nips the Mating Mark and smirks when he hears Sasuke moan. Hmm. So that was sensitive. Good to know.

"Wouldn't it be a good idea to decide that before we go chasing after him?" The other man inquires.

"Probably, but we aren't leaving for a few days. You need to heal and I'm going to check out the library. Madara's diary should be very helpful in this instance." Sasuke muses.

Naruto blinks. Orochimaru had Madara's diary?! Actually, back that up. Madara had a diary?!

"What else does he have in his freaky library? Sheesh. It sounds like the guy had everything." He exclaims.

"You are way too innocent to know what else he has in that library. Just leave it at that." Sasuke warns him and begins lathering soap against Naruto's chest.

All that time that Naruto had spent chasing him, he been damn good for his physical condition. Sasuke smiles when he felt the blonde's abs. Those were nice.

"That feels good." Naruto practically purrs with approval.

Sasuke would classify it as a purr. Well almost a purr really. It was more guttural. Honestly, it sounded more like a rumble. A cross between a purr and a growl.

"Good. Thanks for being patient. I'm sorry for what you are likely to feel through our bond though." He apologizes.

"Sasuke, I want to know when you are upset. That way I can help. I know that you feel the same way. It's what Mates do. You don't have to feel guilty about it." The blonde assures him.

The youngest Uchiha smiles. Naruto was probably the only person that he could believe, after saying something like that. He blinks when he notes how fast the blonde was healing.

"Naruto? Is the Nine Tails accelerating the healing process?" He asks.

"Yeah. Kurama does that a lot. He knows that I'm his host. If I die, it isn't a good thing for him." Naruto answers.

Sasuke nods as he considers this. Well that was useful. A little bit unnerving really, but still useful.


Meanwhile Kabuto fumes. Sasuke and Naruto had killed Orochimaru. Orochimaru who was once a Legendary Sannin. One of the strongest and certainly one of the most intelligent ninjas of their era had been killed by two overgrown children. It was maddening really.

To make matters worse, he was now their prisoner. The silver haired man vows to find a way out of his chakra cuffs and avenge his former mentor. This couldn't be allowed to stand.

"I just have to figure out a way to do it." He mutters.

Sasuke had now activated the Mangekyo Sharingan. That certainly complicated matters. Of course, it wasn't invincible. He could go blind if he overused it. A logical strategy would be to force the youngest Uchiha do to so.

That was easier said than done. He had a very protective Mate and his own impressive abilities. He would find a way to do it though. He had to.

"Perhaps Itachi will assist me in this matter." He muses.

One of the Sound Ninjas walks inside the room and blinks when they saw Kabuto. The medic couldn't for the life of him remember this ninja's name. He was just another goon. Indistinguishable from most of the Sound Villagers.

That didn't matter though. As long as he freed Kabuto, who cared what their name was? He certainly didn't at the moment.

"Help me!" Kabuto calls out.

"Why would I help you? You've experimented on me in the past. Not to mention, I would have a very pissed off Uchiha and demon host after my ass. Nah. You can stay right there." He says with a smirk and looks around the room.

Kabuto fumes. He saw the ninja calmly inspecting the place. Clearly, he was looking for anything that he thought might be useful.

"You will regret this decision!" He growls at him.

"I think not. Tell me, do you even know the names of those that you have experimented on? Do you know mine?" He asks.

The ninja in question was probably around six feet tall. He had long midnight black hair that reached to his shoulders and forest green eyes. The man had a medium build.

"It doesn't matter what your name is. When I get out of this, you are a dead man. I won't bother to bury you. So I don't need your name to place upon your gravestone." The silver haired man snarls.

"It's Sanzara. You should really take more care to learn about those that you are screwing over. I spent several months in agony because of you. It seems the least I can do is ensure that you do the same." He states.

Kabuto eyes Sanzara warily. What was he up to? That's when Sanzara places a seal on him and smirks.

"I think I'll inform the Uchiha that I just placed a seal similar to what the Hyugas use on you. I'm certain that he'll find it useful. If I can gain their favor, that will only bode well for me. Suffer, Kabuto. Suffer." He states as he heads off.

The young medic screams in agony. It was nothing short of torturous. He had never experienced physical pain this intense before.

He knew that he had to stay conscious. God only knows what would happen, if he passed out. There was no telling what Sasuke and Naruto would do to him, if they found him in such a state.

Kabuto bites his lower lip and tastes his own blood when he bit down too hard. The pain was good though. It forced him to focus. He needed to focus desperately at the moment. He couldn't allow himself to pass out.

"Damn him!" He growls under his breath.

How could this have happened? How could Orochimaru, one of the greatest ninjas of all time, die at the hands of two teenagers? It was utterly infuriating.

"I'll find a way to avenge you. I promise." The bespectacled ninja mutters as he tries desperately to stay awake.

It was a losing battle though. The pain was so intense. His brain was forcing a shut down of his body as a defense mechanism. Finally, he passes out completely.

Sanzara smirks. It served him right. Good. Now Kabuto would understand true suffering. As a lovely bonus, he would likely get on the good side of the demon host and Sasuke. He had no doubt that they would likely decide to rule over the Sound.

After all, they could hardly go back to the Leaf Village. What other village was going to accept two Criminal Ninjas? It only stood to reason they would live in the Sound and this way, he had just ensured himself a prominent position during their reign.