DISCLAIMER: NARUTO and its characters belong to Kishimoto.
CLAIMER: Once again,all OCs are mine so those characters belong to ME, JoongStarr.
AN: Sorry for taking so long to update! You have to forgive me, I'm in the US Army so I'm pretty busy. But yeah, I'd say that chapter 28 marks the 'little more than half way' point of this story. However, there's still a lot to add in and tie up so don't expect the end to come next week! I'm already working on chapters 29 and 30 though. I hope to have those finished and posted up by Tuesday.
It was hot. That was the very first thing Itachi and Sasuke noticed as they scaled the factory's walls and quietly squeezed through a narrow window where they were immediately bombarded with heat, steam, shouting and the undeniable sound of steel grinding against steel.
Itachi frowned as he quickly scanned over the giant grey machines and pulleys that seemed to tower over them even in the distance and the burly men covered from head to toe in protective suits. The Uchiha raised his arm to cover his face as a pot immense in size tipped over from its position in the air and spilled its contents of red-orange fiery steel, heating up his skin to an uncomfortable level, and seeping out like lava into a large pool like area. Beside him, he saw Sasuke do the same thing. The pot of melted steel drained its last drops sending bright orange sparks popping up in various directions. A thin sheen of sweat quickly became present on Itachi's face and with one hand motioned for Sasuke to follow him once he felt that it was safe for them to move. The area seemed so familiar. He didn't even need to think about where he was going as they quickly yet carefully passed by the seemingly endless rows of different stations. It was as if his body remembered everything about this place that his brain didn't.
"Stop" Itachi whispered quietly as they maneuvered their way down a narrow, dimly lit hall where various voices were able to be heard behind one of the doors. The powerful smell of cigar smoke invaded his nostrils and he had to fight to keep from coughing.
"I told you guys to quit bringing me bodies!"
Itachi looked back at Sasuke who nodded and pressed his ear against the wall. Inside, they could hear the shuffling of feet and indistinct mumbling accompanied by a loud 'thump' which both of them immediately recognized as the sound of dead weight hitting the floor.
"I don't care!" The bodiless voice boomed with its rage and irritation as clear as day even though they couldn't see. "… time for this! Take them to the fucking exchange point and hand me my money in cash or I'm going to start raising prices for the trouble! I'm sick of keeping dead people in my office until morning! If you guys can't at least do that, then just forget about it and pay me out of pocket!"
This time there was another voice, a recognizable one. "You've been getting rather comfortable with us Yamada-san." The laughter that followed it was razor sharp and teasing which somehow almost effectively hid the coldness lying just beneath it. "So, forgive me if I cut you to shreds." Then there was a pause. "The Uchiha isn't around anymore to get in my way."
Itachi furrowed his brows when the other man's unabashed boldness and rage seemed to disappear with the smoke leaking through the door.
"I well, um – No, I'm sorry! The … The bodies are fine! I – I just wanted to … well its fine! It's fine! Just … no! Please!"
Itachi's arm shot out when he felt his brother shift beside him, blocking the other male's movements. He understood what Sasuke was feeling but to go in would be not only a reckless decision but it could also cost them their mission.
"Get the requested items ready in seventeen days. Oh … I'm glad to see you're alive, Itachi-san."
Itachi stiffened and jumped out of the way when Kisame's Samehada exploded through the wall.
"I wouldn't be much of an Akatsuki member if I wasn't able to sense you two. I'm still surprised you and Sasuke didn't burn to death in the fire." Kisame said and smiled, his teeth a set of serrated blades as he stepped through the massive hole he created. "How have you been, Itachi-san?"
Itachi's gaze hardened; his jaw tight as his ex-partner came closer while he took a few steps back. He wanted to avoid fighting Kisame by all means possible. Itachi readied himself as Kisame stepped his foot back and raised his sword but the blow he had been expecting never came. Instead it was met with another sword. He watched as Sasuke's arms trembled under the pressure, his feet skidding ever so slightly against the floor while he gritted his teeth and held his ground.
Sasuke glared. "I'll kill you," He bit out with venom seeping from his voice.
Itachi stared wide eyed, his breath caught in his throat. Was Sasuke really protecting him? He looked on as Kisame blinked in surprise then unexpectedly pulled back and grinned.
"You got spunk kid. You can kill me later." Kisame said and disappeared in a swirl of water.
When Sasuke turned around to mouth something to him, Itachi felt a wave of nausea roll through him and the floor started to tilt. He felt like he was standing sideways and suddenly the doors, the walls, the whole place blurred and images began to flit through to his head. He swallowed back his urge to vomit when the hard floor started to rock under him and the lights flickered causing him to drop to his knees. His head pounding, aching beyond belief as visions of Kisame, scrolls, prisoners, Madara, rooms, doors, villages and hallways started to fly by. The images, Itachi realized, we're changing and fading out so fast he could barely retain them. It was like a puzzle box that had been filled with all the wrong pieces. He couldn't make sense of any of it. Then, just as he was about to fall into the black hole that had begun to eat away at his bits of reoccurring memory, an arm wrapped latched itself firmly to his waist and hoisted him up. He tried to steady himself and clear the black that was creeping up on him but he couldn't. It was as if someone had set a weight on top of him, forcing his head and every other part of his body down. A strange feeling overtook him, making his insides flutter which soon ended when he heard the sound of gravel. He could hear footsteps shifting the pebbles beneath him sounding further and further away as his vision faded and his hearing dulled to nothing.
Itachi moaned and opened his eyes when he felt a cold cloth being draped across his forehead.
"You're awake." Sasuke said with a small sigh of relief, frown only slightly disappearing.
"How long have I been out?" Itachi managed to ask after a moment of trying to keep his eyes open in the midst of the harsh lights. His voice raspy and throat dry. He was so thirsty.
"You've been in and out of it for three days. I …" Sasuke trailed off mid-way and pinched his lips together and reached for a tall glass of water. "Here, sit-up."
With a grateful glance, Itachi sat up taking the glass and in seconds it was empty. For a moment, they sat in silence and Itachi could practically feel Sasuke's penetrating gaze boring holes through the side of his face. There was an unspoken question in the air that he really didn't feel like answering. Itachi knew that if he talked about it, he would be risking the chance of those bits of memories resurfacing. He frowned. What if he somehow got his memories back and he turned into a heartless criminal? After all, he had to have been a little heartless to have killed his entire family, right? Would Sasuke be able to hate him if he got his memories back? It would make sense because at that point he would technically be able to be held accountable for every single thing he's done. Then again, Sasuke only hated him for slaughtering their family not anything else, right? Either way, it was a risk he needed to take.
"Back there," He began and paused, recollecting his thoughts while Sasuke leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms expectantly. "I had started feeling ill after Kisame left and I saw … I saw so many different images I could barely make sense of them all."
"What did you see? By images, do you mean memories?" Sasuke pressed.
Itachi nodded. "Yes, I saw numbers, rooms, the villages, prisoners we kept and scrolls … Leader-sama would hand to us."
"Do you know what was in the scrolls? What villages did you see?" Sasuke asked, his once calm voice rising ever so slightly as he fired off one round of questions after another. "What is Madara planning? Does it have anything to do with the Hidden Leaf?"
"I don't know." He admitted and looked up from his blanket to his brother. What was the point in having a memory of something with no details? It was useless as finding a pen with no ink.
The younger Uchiha sighed in defeat and irritation. If Itachi could remember even a third of what he used to, they could end their mission and get one up on the Akatsuki before anything bad could take place. "It's alright." He said and grabbed the cool rag from the raven's hand and dipped it back in a bowl filled with water. "Lay down. You still have a fever. Let's just focus on that for now."
Itachi sighed, lying down as Sasuke stood up and just as he was about to head into the kitchen – bowl in hand; he stopped him. "Sasuke" He called softly, his throat still dry from lack of water and when the boy paused and turned around, he drew in a breath and let his arm dangle off the side of the bed. "You know … if I could go back I would."
Sasuke stiffened upon hearing those words. Even though Itachi wasn't being specific, he didn't have to be, he knew exactly what the other male was referring to. It was like an unspoken agreement. I won't talk about it if you don't. And as far as he knew, neither of them did.
"I wouldn't." Sasuke responded firmly. "Forget about it." He said; glaring as he met the annoyingly calm gaze of Itachi's.
"Alright then," Itachi began as he sat up and brushed black tresses away from his line of vision. It wasn't until that moment that Itachi noticed the absence of his hair tie. He hated it when his hair was down because it always got in the way of battle and everyday affairs. Even still, as many times as the locks pestered him, he couldn't bring himself to take a blade to it for his mother was very reason why it was so long anyway. Itachi thinned his lips as his heart seemed to drop and the muscles in his chest tightened. Why? Why was it that after so many years, the mere thought of his family still filled him with remorse and unease? Itachi jumped out of his depressing thoughts when something bumped against his forehead. Itachi sucked in a deep breath when he realized that it was Sasuke. He was staring straight into round irises such a beautiful dark grey they appeared black. They reminded him of his own eyes. The other Uchiha was so close that he could pick up his familiar scent. Sasuke's scent was unique. It reminded him of Konoha's morning dew and sandalwood – a combination he hadn't smelled in a long time. Somehow, this gave him comfort that there are a select few things in life that would never fade or change until death. He wanted to say something but clamped his mouth shut. He couldn't afford to ruin this moment now even if it only resulted in a moody Sasuke telling him to go to hell later.
"You try too hard." Sasuke said with narrowed eyes and a surprising firmness despite the nagging voice in the back of his head that was telling the younger he was acting outside of himself. "Stop trying to fix it. You killed them. I almost killed you and Danzo almost killed me but we survived. That's the end of it."
At that, Itachi drew back and frowned. Younger brothers weren't supposed to give the elders advice. Besides, there was no such thing as trying too hard. The raven swallowed back bile as a wave of nausea rolled over him. He was still sick with a fever and his head ached.
"I know this must sound crazy as hell – especially coming from me – but can't you …" Sasuke struggled to finish the sentence which was something that rarely happened. Slowly, he moved away and let his eye flicker to the door as if determining his distance from the exit.
Itachi's small frown deepened, transforming into a scowl. It must be some question. He didn't know why he was feeling so irritated all of the sudden. Not only that but it was unusual of him to openly show his displeasure unless confronting an enemy.
"…just let go?"
The question was simple but the impact it made – if it could – was strong enough to annihilate an entire village. So that's what Sasuke had meant earlier. Had his brother let go of the past already and just hadn't said anything? Itachi inhaled and exhaled in an attempt to steady his heart. His hands trembled in his lap. He couldn't breathe. The thought of letting them go was too hard. What was wrong with him? He should be able to keep his emotions in check. It was like his soul was betraying his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reel back and a small noise escaped from his lips. Had that really come from him? No, impossible.
"They'll hate me that much more if I do so I'm-" Itachi cut himself off and tried to compose himself enough to finish his statement. "I'm bound to my guilt." Itachi tore his gaze away from the male sitting beside him bowed his head as felt tears begin to break free from their glossy hold on his eyes and travel down his cheeks only to bleed into the blanket. One by one they came. His eyes, throat, nose – it all burned. Itachi clenched his t-shirt as he started to cough and a fire ignited in his chest. I can't breathe.
"You fucked up. What now?"
If said by anyone else, the words would have been like throwing salt on a wound. But this wasn't anyone else, this was Sasuke. Itachi closed his eyes as he felt himself relax against the strong hand planted between his shoulder blades. He did fuck up but there wasn't much he could do about it now. The damage had already been done. All he could do now was continue to rebuild the relationship he shared with his little brother. Itachi blinked and shook his head as blackness tried to form a ring around his vision. He was getting tired again and the episode that took place just a few seconds ago didn't help anyway. "You're right."
Sasuke smirked and pushed the older Uchiha back down on the bed with his hands. "I finally got something right."
TBC
