Review replies, thanks for reviewing and I wish everyone a happy new year!:
Akira Nishikawa: Well here you have a chapter before the new year! Or is it 2009 with you already?
Hanai-kun: You wonder about what? What's going to happen? You'll find out soon!
koko: Well don't worry, Neji won't be turned into a vampire, hehe ;)
Chapter 21 Reunited brothers
Meanwhile, far away from Itachi's house, three figures teleported into a room in the castle of the monster, Hidan. You could immediately sense the evil in here. Neji let out a grunt and pushed Hidan away, trying to sprint out of the room. He had to get out of here.
"Going anywhere?" Hidan asked as he suddenly appeared in front of Neji with a smirk. Neji frowned and walked back again, searching for another way out. Shit, shit, shit.
"Leave me alone you!" Neji yelled at him. Orochimaru smirked.
"Well I guess you're going to play around for a bit hm. I have some things to do." Orochimaru said. "If you need me, you know where to find me."
"I know. You may leave Orochimaru." Hidan said and walked towards Neji.
Orochimaru nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Get the hell away from me!" Neji yelled, afraid but angry. He kept walking away from him, trying to walk at the door again.
"Or else? What will you do Neji?" Hidan said and kept walking towards Neji.
"Shut up! How do you even know my name?! STAND STILL!" Neji yelled and took a sprint towards the door again. He felt his heart beat in his throat. He was in one room, with the monster of monsters. The enemy of all priests, of the whole Urce. He had to make this distance at least a bit more by escaping to the hallway. That would make two rooms instead of one. Dammit. But Neji didn't get very far. Hidan made a move with his arm and send Neji flying right back to him.
"Not so fast Neji. I know everything, you must realise that." Hidan said and smirked as he grabbed Neji by the arm.
Neji bumped into Hidan and jumped back in shock.
"Let go of me!" He angrily yelled and tried to push Hidan away and activated the energy in his free hand, ramming it into Hidan's stomach.
"That does nothing Neji, you're far to weak for me." Hidan said and grinned at Neji as he kept holding Neji's arm. "Now, you know why you're here right?"
"Y-yes, I guess. Could you let go?" Neji said. He didn't wanted to be this close to the monster at all. He tried to calm down, as he saw that he couldn't do anything to this creature.
"Sure." Hidan said and let go of Neji. "Now, you are here of course so I can get my hands on the chosen one, or rather your beloved boyfriend." Hidan said and smirked at Neji an evil smirk. Neji immediately walked to the other side of the room when he saw Hidan was standing before the door. He glared at Hidan.
"What do you even want with him?" He hissed.
"What do you think? He's the only threat for me. I want him gone. Dead." Hidan said simply, then made Neji come back to him with one swift move of his arm.
Neji bumped into Hidan again, onto his chest.
"I won't let you kill him." Neji said. "And just let me stand at the other side of the room ok!" Neji turned around with this, wanting to walk away again.
Hidan though, grabbed Neji's arm again and pulled him back.
"You know Neji, you're here on my rules, not yours. And if you don't watch it, I will have you listen to me another way." Hidan said dangerously.
Neji frowned.
"...You need me alive and unhurt, I know you're not going to hurt me." He said.
"Maybe not in the way you would think. But I can do things to you your boyfriend did to you too." Hidan said and smirked at Neji. He then grabbed Neji's face, squeezing his cheeks.
Neji frowned, pushing Hidan's hands away.
"Don't touch me." He warned. He tried to just ignore what Hidan had said..
"I can touch you when and wherever I want Neji. Remember that. You just hope your boyfriend gets here in time." Hidan said and grabbed Neji's head again, this time rougher and not letting go. Neji swallowed and looked away.
"...Please don't touch me.." He softly said. He knew he sounded and looked vulnerable now, but he didn't care. He was just afraid.
"I'll be deciding on that. But I will leave you alone. For now. You will stay..." Hidan moved his arm again and they were standing in a dungeon. "Here." Hidan finished and then locked Neji away. Neji looked at the cell and was relieved at seeing the lock. He could easily destroy that one.
"..How long does Sasuke have?" Neji asked. "And what are you going to do if he is later then that time..?"
"You'll just have to find out hm. And the chosen one will have a week. Not more. Oh and don't even think of destroying this lock. It gives the damage you do to it back, but then three times as hard. It doesn't break either." Hidan said and then gave Neji another smirk.
Neji frowned and gave the lock another glance, before looking at Hidan again. "...You're going to kill me if he won't come in a week, aren't you?" He asked. He had to admit that he was scared. A lot.
"Maybe. Or maybe I will just enjoy you before that." Hidan said and smirked even more. "I'll give you some time to think of that. I hope you trust your boyfriend, because you'll need it." Hidan said and then disappeared.
Neji closed his eyes. So it was true, what Deidara had said. He was going to get used for sex... Neji sat down now and let his head rest in his hands. He hoped Sasuke would be there in time.. he hoped he'd see Sasuke again before he died.
Sasuke was walking upstairs. He was gonna say goodbye to Itachi. He had been given one week to save Neji. Three days had passed, they were planning a surprise attack. Sasuke knocked on the door of Itachi's room and walked in. He found Itachi crying. Sasuke looked at it. What was wrong? Itachi never cried. Never. Why was he crying? Sasuke kept silent and just looked at Itachi confused.
Itachi breathed in deeply as he heard that someone had entered. He looked up and saw Sasuke standing there, looking confused. He quickly wiped away his tears and stood, moving past Sasuke, wanting to go downstairs. He couldn't let Sasuke see that something was wrong.
"Itachi don't walk away from me. Why the hell were you crying?" Sasuke asked and grabbed Itachi's wrist to stop him. Something should be really, really wrong for Itachi to cry.
"...I'm sorry.. It's just.. well let it be.." Itachi said, wiping off his face again, trying to stop more tears to pour down his face.
"No. Why the hell are you crying Itachi? What happened?" Sasuke asked annoyed. What was Itachi keeping from him? Itachi sighed and leaned against a wall, holding his hand before his mouth and closing his eyes. He shook his head. Seriously, Sasuke had to go downstairs now.
But Sasuke stayed and looked at Itachi. He was determined to find out what Itachi was hiding.
"Tell me." Sasuke demanded.
"It's just... I just.. I love you so much Sasuke.. I.." Itachi said and felt the tears coming again. "God damn it.." He muttered and wiped away those tears.
Sasuke furrowed his brows in confusion. What did Itachi just say?
"...What..?" Sasuke asked softly. He must've heard wrong.
"..I just wanted the best for you, I wanted you to be a child the Uchiha clan would be proud of, that's why I let you go.." Itachi said, his voice trembling. "..I wish I'd n-never have done that.."
"Then why did you say I was annoying? That I was a small child and I had to do things on my own? 'Why' are you lying to me?" Sasuke asked angry. Itachi was such an asshole, telling him something like this. What did he want? Attention?
"I'M NOT LYING DAMN IT!" Itachi suddenly yelled, harder then he ever had yelled.
"Then why did you say all those things? Sasuke you're a small child, you have to learn to take care of yourself, do it on your own. I'm leaving Sasuke so you can grow up already. Grow up! Why did you always tell me to fucking grow up!? Did you think leaving me alone to die was gonna get me to grow up!?" Sasuke yelled furious. But inside he was sad. Hurt.
"I gave you two years of being a child longer then any Uchiha child ever had! I wanted the family to be proud of you, and you to be proud of yourself! You had to learn how to take care of yourself!" Itachi yelled back, the tears pouring down his face. He just couldn't stop crying.
"The family is DEAD! They would NEVER be proud of me, they rejected me before they all died! I was perfectly able to take care of myself thank you! I've been doing fine in a world of humans and creatures who want to kill me! It would've been nice though to know someone cared! But you just had to leave so I would grow up! You left me to die!" Sasuke yelled and felt his eyes starting to prick again.
"Look, I never wanted the role of being the father, mother and brother at the same time!" Itachi yelled. "Each parent in the Uchiha clan does this to their children! Forcing them to grow up! I just wanted the best for you, you were clinging to me so badly!"
"Do you think that's weird!? You were all I had! The Uchiha clan was dead, you didn't have to reject my like all of them had! You could've cared about me! But you choose to leave me as well, find me irritating as well! It was your choice to hate me too!" Sasuke yelled and felt tears streaming down his face. He couldn't care.
"I never hated you!" Itachi yelled. "I never 'ever' have hated you! You were all I had but because I loved you so much I let you go because I knew you'd never be able to save yourself would you be older, because you wouldn't even think of doing something yourself 'cause I'd always have been there to protect you!"
"You didn't have to reject me for that! You have no idea how it felt to be rejected by the only one I thought liked me! Sincerely liked me! Would be there, always! But you had to go! You had to crush all trust I had for anyone! I tried to commit suicide for a year because you left! You fucking destroyed me!" Sasuke yelled and wiped away his tears.
"...I'm s-so sorry.." Itachi managed to get out when he heard this. Sasuke had tried to commit suicide..? He couldn't stop the tears anymore.
"...I tried so hard to hate you...so hard..." Sasuke said, his voice trembling. Tears were still streaming down his face.
"...You should've.. I'm not worth y-you.." Itachi said, wiping away Sasuke's tears.
"..Well I couldn't...I had the stupid hope that you would come back for me.. And I annoyed the living hell out of you...so I guess it was my own fault anyhow, like always..." Sasuke said and still let the tears come. He sat down on the ground against the wall and hugged his knees. He didn't wanna see Itachi anymore. Or hear him. Sense him near. He wanted nothing now.
"..It wasn't your fault.. you never annoyed me.. but I thought.. losing me would be easier that way..." Itachi muttered, not daring to move.
"..I did it to myself right...? That's what you said that day...You did it to yourself Sasuke.. you did it to yourself..." Sasuke mumbled, almost not hear able.
"...I know I said that.. I believed that you did it to yourself a bit..." Itachi mumbled. "...I was so desperate.. I was torn between sadness because I knew I was going to lose you.. and anger because you had a childhood I never had..."
"...You don't know how it was...you have no idea.. I lost the only thing I thought I could be certain of...I lost you...with the thought you hated me...you fucking hated me.. And then I had no one...everything was gone...I was all alone.. I had to grow up in one second...I had to be the chosen one all of a sudden...on my own...all alone..." Sasuke said and hid his face in his arms.
"...I'm so sorry..." Itachi whispered. It hurt so much. He couldn't take this.
"...And I loved you...I kept loving you.. I hated myself for that...And I only grew up to hate myself even more...I still hate myself.. I'm weak.. pathetic...a child...Just like you predicted.. And alone...I'm alone..." Sasuke said softly, his tears still not stopping. He had held it in so long. So long that it all came out now.
Itachi swallowed at hearing this. "...I'm so s-sorry..." He said and knelt down next to Sasuke. He couldn't stop himself anymore and moved Sasuke into his arms, hugging him tightly. Sasuke let himself be hugged. Even now he felt save and loved in Itachi's arms, even after so many years.
"..I'm s-sorry...for b-being who I am..." Sasuke whispered between his sobs.
"..Please don't be.. d-don't be.. I'm the one who hurt you, not t-the other way around.." Itachi said, starting to shake because of crying. This was the first time in twelve years he was crying like this.
"...Y-you hated me...so I h-hated myself.. P-please Itachi.. don't h-hate me..." Sasuke practically begged and grabbed Itachi tightly.
"..I n-never hated you.. you was and still are my life Sasuke.." Itachi sobbed, feeling a bit guilty for making Sasuke's shirt wet now.
"...I m-missed you so much Itachi.. don't l-leave me again.." Sasuke said softly and wiped his face dry.
"..I w-won't... I'll join you... I'll come with you to help you defeat that monster... I'll help you save Neji.." Itachi said, stroking Sasuke's hair.
"..Thank you...T-thank you for being my brother.." Sasuke said and hugged Itachi even tighter.
"...Thank you f-for being my little b-brother.. I love you.. so much..." Itachi said, closing his eyes, sighing happily. Sasuke had forgiven him.. finally..
"...I l-love you too.. Always have.." Sasuke said and hid his face in Itachi's neck, like he had done too so many years ago. Itachi was back with Sasuke. Where he belonged.
The next day, Neji finally reached where he had been working for the whole night. He had decided to attack the bars of his cell, instead of the lock. And now he finally had broken one of them so he could wring himself through those bars. He was now standing out of his cell, looking around. He saw no one and hurried towards the exit. Finally. He would escape and then get the hell away from this castle. Exactly when Neji wanted to open the door of the exit, Hidan appeared in front of him.
"Well hello." He said and smirked his devilish smirk at Neji.
Neji didn't even felt scared now, but he felt highly irritated. Why did this annoying creature had to plop up every moment he shouldn't plop up?
"...You are really annoying, you know that?" Neji asked, sounding serious. He even meant it serious.
"Am I? Good." Hidan said and pulled Neji with him, into another cell. "Now, I think you've learned your lesson. Those bars trigger an alarm if broken and then right here I am." Hidan said and looked into Neji's eyes.
Neji glared at him now. "You really are a pansy, aren't you?" Neji snapped before he could stop himself. Oh dear. That had been stupid. But it was true. If Hidan wasn't a pansy, he would've went to Sasuke long ago.
"A pansy hm? Or maybe I'm just smart. Wouldn't ruin my chances by storming into the chosen one's home. Like he will do. And die. And remember, just four days left hm. Four days before I use you and kill you afterwards." Hidan said and grabbed Neji by the hair so Neji would look at him.
"Let go of me." Neji hissed, trying to stop the sick feeling in his stomach. He pushed Hidan away, who let go of his hair because of the sudden movement. Neji walked back into the cell, not wanting to be close to Hidan anymore. "And I'm sure Sasuke will kill you." What would Hidan even do with him might Sasuke be killed...? But Sasuke wouldn't be killed.. he wouldn't...
"Sure you are. Well we'll see hm. Who's the strongest. Me, the monster everyone fears, around for decades or the eighteen year old Uchiha, who's entire family I killed. Tough question." Hidan said and then started to laugh like some demon.
"He's stronger then you think." Neji snapped, ignoring the laughing. Then he quickly looked away. He and his stupid big mouth... Sasuke had been right about him having a big mouth. He sat down onto a little couch which was standing in the cell.
"Is he now? And how strong is he then hm?" Hidan said and walked up to Neji, then grabbed his hair again. Neji would look at him. Neji looked at him with narrowed eyes and then looked away, choosing to not answer. What did he had to loose?
"ANSWER!" Hidan screamed with his terribly loud and dangerous voice. It echoed through the walls for at least twenty seconds. Neji flinched and looked at him in fear. He still didn't answer. He wasn't going to betray Sasuke. Never.
Hidan threw Neji away with one single move, against the wall.
"Suit yourself. I will be back tomorrow. Then it will just be three days. You better keep that hope he will come for you. Maybe he thinks you're not worth it hm. He could do better, he is the chosen one." Hidan said and then laughed again.
Neji let out a moan when he hit the wall.
"..H-he will come... I know he will.." Neji muttered. He almost didn't listened to this monster. He knew Sasuke loved him.
"We will see in four days." Hidan said and then disappeared again after one more laugh. Neji sat down onto the couch again, feeling weak. Very weak.