Declaration: I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
A/N- As you can see, this story is a bit long. However, do not worry. I have a clear idea where I want to take it, and if nothing goes seriously wrong, it should end at Chapter 15 or 16 at most. I hope you will enjoy this chapter. Oh….reviews, please?
Haven for lost souls
Bird of Clay
Count your blessings, they say. A man should always count his blessings. I can use one hand for doing so. I was born in a middle of a world war, and lost my parents at the age of four. I survived only because of my exceptional strength and abilities- now that is one.
My old Sensei found me at the age of seven. I was a wild child by then, hanging around other wild orphans. She made a civilized person out of me; I do not know what different kind of a monster I would have become without her- now that is two.
Still, she could not cope with my rage, and as I got stronger, she lost her control over me. When I decided to desert my adoptive village, she came to fight me, claiming I was a threat to all humanity. I had no choice but to kill her, and the rest of my team.
For years, I have been a lonely wolf, having only myself as company. Even when I took over the Rain, I was still alone. Being a god is an isolating position. The first one who broke this loneliness was Konan, and I will be forever grateful- now that is three.
Uchiha Itachi, my lover - that is four.
I had the privilege to have the most beautiful, noble and selfless soul as my lover. I was truly blessed. I got him as a fourteen-year-old boy, and had the pleasure to watch him grow and become a dazzling eighteen-year-old man.
He was sitting across my desk, bleak expression on his face. His dark eyes did not look at mine; he preferred to look at the wall. Kisame, his mission's partner, set next to him, looking at me with embarrassment. Last but not least, in my office room, was Deidara, our newest recruit. In fact, Kisame and Itachi just brought him in. I looked at the blonde boy. He was gorgeous, with his long golden hair, his light blue eyes and his lithe and graceful figure. Have to hand it to Madara; he surely knew how to spot the loveliest boys in the whole world. Deidara had a frowning face as Itachi's; He chose to look at the floor.
"Well, Deidara, I hope you will adjust in no time." I faked a smile in a hopeless effort to break the dark atmosphere of the meeting.
"How many times do I have to tell you? I don't want to be here, un!" Deidara said angrily.
"You should address Leader-sama with more respect!" Kisame scolded the blonde.
"Yeah? He may be your leader, fish-stick, but not mine, un!"
"Deidara!" Kisame shouted, "Do you need some respect smacked into you?"
Deidara got up on his feet "You stay away from me! All of you! Red eyes and all the rest of you crazy people or I will blow up this place!"
"Deidara, sit down!" I said in a harsh voice. Apparently, it worked, Deidara returned to his seat, crossed hands on his chest, like a lost child.
"There is no use resisting," said Itachi in his cool manner "Believe me, I tried."
"Look who's talking, un! You fought me and dragged me here!" Deidara said.
"Orders." Itachi replied, still looking at the wall.
"You will be placed with Sasori." I said, trying to clam the young man down "He is an Artist like you. He will show you around, and introduce you to everyone."
"He shouldn't bother, because as soon as I can, I am flying out of here."
"Deidara, that will be impossible." I smiled; I really took pity on the boy. "You have your ring, and you are inside our hideout. The only way out of Akatsuki for you now is…"
"Death." Kisame finished with a toothy grin.
"I don't need your help, Hoshigaki!" I reproached the Mist ninja. Deidara pouted but said nothing. I hoped he would be reasonable, so I will not have to kill him. "Deidara-chan, you will find Akatsuki a very welcoming place, if you only choose to. Now Kisame, take Deidara to Sasori, will you?"
"Hai, Leader-sama." Kisame got up "come on, goldilocks"
"Don't you fucking call me that, Jaws!"
After few more creative insults, both of the shinobis were out of my office. I was left there, alone with my favorite Uchiha, who still would not look at me.
"Come to me, 'Tachi, I've missed you so much." I smiled and licked my lips with anticipation.
"Mmm" he hummed, not moving a muscle.
"What's wrong, love?"
"I am not in the mood, Sir, may I go now?"
A cold shoulder, now that hurts. "Itachi, is everything ok?"
"Everything is fine," he said with the calmest voice he could use, which could only mean that he was furies.
"Bullshit, what's troubling you?" Itachi smiled and got up. I caught him before he turned the doorknob."Itachi, please don't go like this."
"You really want to know what is on my mind, Leader?" said the stoic beauty.
"Yes."
"Ok, then." he took a deep breath and looked at me finally in the eyes. His crimson Sharingan was activated. "Leader-sama, I have been in Akatsuki for four years now, and I got used to lots of things. I even adjusted to the fact that after benign an ANBU Capitan, I was reduced to a mere sex toy! But I never thought, in my humiliating life, which I deserve, that I will ever take the role of a pimp!"
"What are you talking about?" it was my turn to be raging, "you are not a pimp, and definitely not a sex toy!" the Uchiha only raised an eyebrow in return. "How can you think that, Itachi? This is insulting, you know how I feel!"
"And how does Madara feels? Yes, I know all about your arrangement. Both of you are the same, using your power to control and toy with others! Deidara is going to be Madara's pet, is he? and I am the one to be blamed for it."
"Itachi, you should not be angry at yourself."
"I know, I should be angry at you! You are the only one who can stop this."
"Stop what?"
"Gods, Pein! Do I have to spell it to you? That sadistic psychopath will rape this kid, as soon as he is back from his mission. He will turn his life into hell. The poor guy hates me, and he doesn't even know the reason yet."
"Itachi, this is between Madara and Deidara. We can not interfere."
"Can't or won't?" he asked with his cruel power of deduction.
"Itachi, Madara will kill you if…"
"I am not Madara's to kill." the young man said coldly "Don't worry, Pein, I understand you. Your dream is far more important than some kid's life. You will not risk breaking up Akatsuki over this one… One thing I can tell you, though…"
"What is it?"
"Madara does not share your dreams. Madara has a different design in his mind."
"How do you know that?"
"It takes an Uchiha to figure out an Uchiha."
"Prove it."
"Don't mind if I do."
A knock on the door broke the tension between us. It was Konan, who entered the room.
"Are you ready, Leader-sama?" she asked. We were about to leave for a very difficult and dangerous mission, The Akatsuki first attempt at capturing a tailed beast. I looked at Itachi disappointed; no way could I have sex with him before leaving, not with his mood.
Itachi guessed my thought and smirked at me. "Good luck." he got up on his toes and kissed me. At least I got that.
"Thank you." I said, you are not a sex toy; I wanted to add, but not in front Konan. "Come, Angel, lets go."
oOOo
Fighting against the five-tailed beast was one of the greatest challenges I ever faced in my life. We battled for six days and seven nights, Kakuzu, Hidan, Konan and I. Kakuzu lost three of his hearts, Hidan lost his head, literally. I was lucky enough not to lose a body, but four of me were really badly injured, so I was forced to teleport them to a safe hideout.
We were exhausted when we arrived to the vessel, carrying the nearly dead jinchuriki, to perform the extracting jutsu. It could end up dead after the three days ritual, but I did not mind that, the five tailed jinchuriki was ten time worst than Hidan.
"Assemble!" I commanded, looking at all members on the statue's fingers, both real and silhouettes.
"Rei...Sei…Haku…Shin…Kai…Nan…Hoku…San…Gyoku" each team member activated his ring.
"Fuunin justu, genryuu kyuu fuujin!" I summoned the ghostly blue dragon and the ritual began.
It took us three days to extract the demon, seal it in the vessel and stabilize it. As I predicted, the hosting body died in the processes. This was a hateful soul; no one will mourn its passing. As the process ended, all the eyes in the vessel closed their eyelids with satisfaction. The blue dragon retreated from the dead body, its light faded, leaving the cave in a cold damped darkness.
For a second no word was spoken. Even I needed time to make sure this was no dream. We just finished a tailed demon, an enormous force of nature. In my wildest dreams, I never dared thinking I had the power to do so. Only a mad man can take that giant leap of faith, and Madara was irreplaceable in that manner. We eyed each other with mutual respect; he could not do that without me either.
"A job well done, everyone." I finally said, my voice echoed around the cave's walls. "You may all resume your missions now." I continued, looking at each one of my subordinates. In moments like this, I was proud of each one of them, forgetting that they were a collection of lost and insane souls. "Kisame, Itachi. You stay here."
All the silhouettes faded away, except Itachi's and Kisame's. Konan, Hidan and Kakuzu, who were with me in the cave with their real bodies, left for the cave entrance to wait for me outside. "Leader-sama" Kisame bowed politely, a rainbow danced on his shadow.
"What is your status?" I asked, dryly.
"We just left Konoha, leader." the shark ninja continued. "I am sorry to report that our mission there failed."
"What do you mean?"
"The nine tailed beast, also known as Naruto, has a unique position in the hidden leaf. They actually care for him there. He is under the protection of Jiraiya. We barely escaped that one, Sir, That Sanin was too much for us to handle."
"Sou ka." These were unpleasant news; it meant that I would have to face that shinobi myself. I really liked that old Sensei; I was not looking forwarded to kill him. "Tell me more about Naruto. Is he as strong as they say?"
Kisame chuckled "I don't know, leader, he looked kind of stupid to me."
"He is just a kid." said Itachi, involved in the conversation for the first time. I could tell he was still mad at me.
"Leader-sama, I believe Naruto is an easy prey, if we can only get the pervert hermit out of the way." Kisame continued "Gaara on the other hand…"
"Is only a child as well." said Itachi, coldly.
"They may be children now, Itachi, but they will grow up to become monsters as the rest of them. Don't you agree?" I turned to him, angered.
"No, I don't." He said, raising his chin with defiance.
Kisame looked at him for a second with dismay and then laughed. "Don't mind him, Sir" The blue nin tried to calm me down "He is just pissed off because he had to fight his baby brother. You should have seen it. It was fucking hilarious, the way that emo-kid charged him with chidori. Itachi broke his wrist, to teach that brat to respect his elders."
"That is beside the point!" Itachi insisted "I think we are making a great mistake here…"
"Itachi, stop!" Kisame warned him.
"I am not scared to say what's on my mind and…" Itachi said and suddenly burst into one of his coughing fits. I swore it got worse every time. All I could do was to look at his shadowed figure, as the coughing attack threatened to split him up in two. I had to channel my frustration somewhere, so I ended up slamming my fist into the cave's wall.
"Leader?" Kisame was startled; he stared at my bleeding hand. I ignored him.
"Itachi, have you been taking your medicine?" I asked, my anger turned into worry.
Within a moment, the damned fit ended and the young Uchiha straightened up, catching his breath. I looked at him, even as a shadow, his beauty was undeniable. I missed him so much. "Itachi, are you all right? Do you want to abort your next mission and come back to base to rest?"
"No, everything is under control."
"But leader has a point, weasel." said Kisame, worried as I was.
"Are you both deaf? I said I am ok!"
"Fine, then." I ended the pointless argument "Where are you heading now?"
"To the Wind, we are hunting the four tailed beast." Kisame answered, still keeping his eyes on his partner "Should be easy, he is an old geezer. His killing days are over."
"Very well" an easy mission, that was relieving "Continue, then."
They both bowed shortly and disappeared. I lingered, troubled, Itachi's health was deteriorating fast and I knew I will have to interfere soon.
I also knew why he was still angry. It was because of Deidara. I thought Itachi judged me unfairly on that one. Did he not understand that sometimes, in order to reach a high goal, a sacrifice must be made? Deidara was a sacrifice, I would not deny that, and I could not help but wonder what would have happened if I chose the blonde boy over Itachi. What would have become of my love? Such a disturbing thought, I chose to discard it at that point.
In my quest for a brave new world, I was making the same cruel mistakes that made me hate the old one. My lover was going blind, but he saw things clearer then I did. If only I have opened my eyes earlier, things would have never ended up as they did.
A/N- next chapter contains a violent lemon. Not for minors!