An update! Enjoy ;)
XXXXXX
"You know what we have to do… I'm sorry, but there's no other way. I've come to ask Team 7's permission only out of courtesy." Shikamaru's expression was dead serious as he stared into the familiar faces around the room; Ino and Sakura were crying, while Kakashi and Neji remained impassive. Naruto, of course, seemed to be getting angrier; the red glow hiding just behind his eyes was growing steadily, and the internal battle with his conscience was becoming more and more apparent. I've never had anything against the guy, but it's only a matter of time before he compromises Konoha's safety to a degree that we can't combat.
The blonde was visibly shaking now, his shoulders tensed and fists clenched. "No matter what we say, you'll do it anyway. You don't care about him! You'll just round up a team of Anbu and old geezers from Granny Tsunade so you can go and try to get rid of him!" They don't want to help him anymore, they don't care about what happened to him, they don't care about his life; they just want to make him go away.
The brunette remained impassive; the reaction was precisely what he had expected. The reasoning that followed, however, came as a mild surprise.
"But did you ever consider how great of an ally he'd be?" The nin in the room blinked slowly, having never considered that the Uchiha would be as powerful as he was, let alone how much of an asset he could be to Konoha's defense with his experience. They're all so focused on taking care of him, like some sort of terrible problem, but what if we worked with him? "He's gotten so strong… Fuck, he took on all four of us with less than half of his chakra intact and he had to try not to kill us. The fact that he didn't just wipe us out means everything! He still cares; you can't deny that. And as long as a part of him is still in there, we have to try and crack the shell; we have to try to set him free!"
Kakashi was the first to shake his head. "No. He isn't turning back; I met him in the forest and he chose Itachi. Even if Sasuke cares about Konoha, his brother doesn't. In fact, his brother happens to be a terrorist belonging to a group bent on creating war and gaining power by possessing the nine tailed beasts. Sasuke isn't being held captive, Sasuke isn't being misled; he knows exactly what he's doing, and he's going to do whatever is in the best interest of the only family he has left." He gave a heavy sigh before continuing, "We could never fill that void, no matter how much we all tried. It's over, Naruto; let's end it so the least number of people get hurt." I won't have to be one of them for long… I can take him with me to death.
The pink haired kunoichi sobbed harder at the notion; if even Kakashi thought it was best… No I can't lose him… I know he left me a long time ago, I know nothing could ever happen between us now, but I still love him… I miss him more every time I see him again; I just want to talk and laugh again… Goddamnit I want to steal bells from our insane Sensei again! I don't care what or how; I just need him back. Sakura sniffled loudly before composing her voice enough to speak. "I can see that it seems best, but… It's Sasuke! He never left my heart; I've never thought of him as a traitor! How can any of you do so and still call yourselves his friends? Can't we just find out his motives with Akatsuki? Can't we be sure before we go kill him off?" Her crying continued, the tears moving steadily down her cheeks as she looked around, begging anyone to back her up.
"No." Tsunade interrupted before any of them could process their thoughts, and a stunned silence filled the air. "He's done enough emotional damage, and I won't wait around for him to get physical. As Hokage, I order all of you to execute Sasuke Uchiha on sight. Official teams will be dispatched to complete the mission, and don't any of you count on being exempt from your duty as a ninja in the defense of Konoha; I believe we'll need every person we can spare if Akatsuki is involved." I can't allow any of them to shake me on this, especially Naruto. There comes a time when enough is enough; the Uchiha has had plenty of opportunities to change his path, and refusing to do so has earned him what he should have gotten with his abandonment.
Naruto was glaring at the Hokage now, trying to get his anger under control. I can't let her do this… Sasuke can take care of himself… But against so many… Fuck, anyone would be overwhelmed, no matter how powerful. It really is just an execution squad; there's no chance of a fair fight.
The busty woman was glaring around the room, daring any of them to voice their opposition. Her gaze came to rest on the Uzumaki; his eyes had bled red as soon as Kakashi relented, but he had been struck dumb with the rest and could only stare defiantly into the other blonde's eyes. "You will leave as soon as you receive your orders. Team 7, you will be split apart; clearly your emotions are a large factor, and being together can only monopolize your performance for the worse. Neji will lead the tracking team and decoy attack force with Hinata, Shino, Sakura, and Kiba." The mentioned nin could only nod in affirmation; her tone was a clear warning for no one to question or interfere. "You, Kakashi, will be joining Gai, Kurenai, Shikamaru, and Asuma on the assassination squad; Neji's team will find the target and initiate combat, then you will sweep in and finish the job. Naruto will remain in the village to avoid becoming a victim of the organization; Chouji, Ten Ten, Rock Lee, and Ino will see that he stays put." Hopefully he'll be less willing to attack his fellow jounin than an Anbu squad. "If any of you encounter other Akatsuki members, you are to destroy them after the mission is complete only if it is logical to do so. Is that clear?"
XXXXXX
The raven came out of his deep sleep slowly, reveling in the sound of his brother's voice. But who is he talking to? Just as he was about to open his eyes, he became curious. I'll feign sleep for a bit longer, then… Someone else is here.
"I hardly think it will matter if I do it now rather than later… And the sooner the better, right?" Itachi's voice was slightly argumentative and characteristic of a mild debate with another. "Besides, I can have it done before he even wakes up… Then nothing will matter but us."
The other man in the room responded after moving a bit closer. "You're so naïve, even now. Don't you think you should be more careful about this? You don't know how he'll react… Hell, you don't even know how long he's been awake." He has no idea what we're talking about, but I'll be sure to give him each and every detail… I don't even have to try to make Itachi's little plan of deception seem bad; he's done that by thinking it up in the first place.
Sasuke let his eyes flutter open as he sat up from his position of lying in Itachi's lap. How did he know…? He narrowed his eyes as he took in the masked man, who was staring at him a bit too intently.
That's right, little raven… I know a lot more about you than you think. "So, Itachi, would you care to tell him about your shady plot of a plan, or shall I?" Madara was smiling broadly behind the mask; he couldn't wait for the angry accusations of betrayal. You're making this far more easy than I predicted; if I'm willing to tell the truth no matter the situation, clearly he'll be much more inclined to trust me. "I mean, you could leave now and get it going while I fill him in…"
The other Uchiha glared. How dare he mock me? "No. I'll tell him." He turned to his lover, avidly avoiding a grin at the cute way Sasuke's hair had splayed about his head. He looks like an angel fallen from grace… And I'm the reason for his lost innocence. "Otouto, I was thinking that perhaps we should take care of the Konoha problem now… I mean, they'll only get more annoying in the future, and I know that I could easily dispose of them if you so desired…"
Dispose of? He was going to kill them behind my back and hope I didn't get mad about it? "But you weren't going to wait and see what I desired, right? This was all supposed to happen while I was asleep…" The raven slid out of the sheets and stood, backing away from the bed. Itachi tried to pull him back and succeeded, catching his wrist in a death grip as he pulled him back to the bed. How the fuck did he do that? Even with amount of chakra he was using, I should have been able to resist… His thoughts were discarded as he let anger take over.
Madara chuckled deeply and smirked at Itachi. "And you didn't think he'd be opposed to the idea? They took him in when you had forsaken him… Whether you like it or not, he'll always love them; there's going to be a deep rift between you two because of your little 'rape and take off' endeavor." Not to mention your hilarious misinterpretation of his feelings and opinions.
Completely ignoring the masked man, Itachi turned to the struggling raven. "Sasuke, love, I didn't mean it like that… I just-" I just want you all to myself. The older Uchiha didn't get to finish his sentence because he was quickly interrupted by his brother.
"No, that's exactly what you meant." The biting response was followed by silence. He didn't know why he was opposed to letting Itachi destroy the Konoha nin, but he was absolutely certain that he couldn't bear to bring them harm. Is Madara right? No; my love for them can't still exist after everything I've done to betray them. Besides, they'll soon come to the conclusion that I should be disposed of. If they haven't already… Sasuke was suddenly quite aware of how evenly matched they would be if a squad were to attack the cave.
I'm surprised that he's acting so irrationally about this; I know I was wrong to plan it without his consent, but I didn't think he would be so against it. Holding the raven to his chest, Itachi nuzzled the racing pulse and tried to calm his lover. "Yes, it is. Please, Otouto, you must understand that I'm only trying to protect you… The Hokage has been far too lenient already, and it's only a matter of time before an official execution order is put out." I couldn't bear that… When they've come after him in the past, it's scared me, but I knew that they just wanted to help him, that they wouldn't seriously hurt him. He felt the other sigh in his arms and stop trying to escape.
"I know, Nii-san, but I can't let you kill them. In a way I guess he's right…" The young Uchiha paused briefly and glanced at the man across the room before continuing his sentence, all the while wondering if it was truly how he felt. My emotions seem so much more fucked up now that I'm actually bothering to pay attention to them. "I still love them; I don't want to be the cause of their deaths." He turned and brushed Itachi's bangs away from his eyes, then looked deep into the thoughtful orbs. It hurts him to hear me say that…
Itachi looked away from Sasuke's questioning gaze and asked the question he had been avoiding for far too long. "Otouto, do you want to go back to Konoha?" If he wanted to… Well, I would have to let him; as much as I like to think he is mine, that I own him, I do not. He still has the right to be happy, with or without me.
The raven blinked, surprised by his brother's words. Even over the past few days, he's changed so much… "Never." His reply was instant and sure, and eased Itachi's nerves considerably. "I don't ever want to see them again. You're the only one I'm in love with, Aniki…" He pushed the other back into a laying position and crawled up muscular legs to straddle his lover. Trailing soft bites and licks up the other's neck and to his ear, Sasuke nipped at the lobe and whispered seductively, "So don't you dare go soft on me." I don't want him to hide his feelings or hold back for my sake; he deserves to live out every desire after all that I've put him through.
Madara glared at the brothers and turned to leave; they had all but forgotten he was there. As much as I'd like to watch Sasuke squirm in pleasure, I don't think I'd be able to resist killing Itachi in the process. Doubtless that wouldn't make my conquest any easier to accomplish. "I guess I'll leave you two to it, then…" He muttered the phrase begrudgingly as he disappeared. I can't believe Sasuke didn't flip out and run off; Itachi's intentions were so utterly misguided and impure. The oldest Uchiha mentally smacked himself. Their entire relationship is built off of much worse… I can't imagine what it will take to make the raven mine.
XXXXXX
A/N
Sorry for the short chapter…
I promise this story will be over soon, so just hang on for a little bit longer! Thank you so much for all of your AMAZING support; I could never have gotten this far without your wonderful reviews.
Please let me know what you think XD
Much Love,
Viotox
PS… If you like GaaSasu, go check out my story, At Last; I'm updating semi-regularly. Oh, and if you're in the mood for a little DeiSasu, I just posted a oneshot called Make Me Scream. Thanks for reading!