Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
I'm surprised none of you have yelled at me to update faster XD I try, believe me. It's just soooo difficult when ya have OCD, are dealing with school, and have to babysit a majority of the week :pout: but yeah, I'll try to update faster since this story's almost over with.
Please review!
Also, during the scene with Naruto and Sasuke, I listened to the song 'Gravity' by Sara Bareilles. OMG, it's such a beautiful and sad song. If you listen to it while reading, it sort of brings out this tight feeling in your chest. If not, you have no heart XD
There were at least thirty men inside of the stone basement, all of them wearing something similar to the Akatsuki cloaks, but the red clouds were missing. Naruto assumed it was because they weren't of a higher rank, but as he examined them, quite a few of them glared at him. The blond gulped and laughed nervously, gripping Sasuke's hand a little tighter than before.
"They don't like the idea of outsiders being allowed into headquarters," Tobi explained. "The last person that wasn't a part of the Akatsuki and brought here... well, they ended up being sold on the black market, each body part individually sealed in its own baggy," he laughed. "But don't worry, that won't happen to you."
Sasuke could swear he saw Naruto's soul leave his body and chuckled.
"My brother wouldn't let anything happen to us, so calm down."
"I would soooo much rather be home having sex with you, right now," the actor sighed and shrunk away from a rather large man with scars all down the side of his jaw. The guy grunted at him and Naruto swallowed thickly. Yes, he'd much rather be having sex.
"Wouldn't we all?" Sasuke retorted with a smirk, stopping when Tobi stopped by a group of women, most of them staring at the two unknown men as if they wanted to gut them. One of the females, though, a shorter girl with red hair and a black headband, smiled at Sasuke as if she knew him.
"You're Leader-sama's younger brother, aren't you?" at that, all of her companions stiffened and put on fake smiles, scared that the smaller Uchiha would inform their boss of their rudeness. As a matter of fact, the whole room seemed a lot less uncomfortable now that the cat was out of the bag. "I saw pictures of you when I was in his office once. You're just as handsome as he is!"
Sasuke smiled slightly, even though he knew his lover wanted to rip the girl's head off.
"Thank you."
"Ladies, do you happen to know where Itachi-sama might be? He wasn't in the entrance hall when we arrived, but I know for a fact he's not in his office," Tobi pulled his mask up and twisted it to the side of his head, his cinnamon brown bangs hanging in his eyes.
The tallest girl pointed her thumb behind her, to where there were two large metal doors. "He and Hidan-san are making a transaction with someone, but I don't think it's going to end too pre--" before she could finish, the shout of a man behind the closed doors echoed around the building, followed by two gunshots. "See?"
Naruto flinched. Just because Itachi was practically family didn't mean he agreed with the way he went about things. In many ways, he was just like Orochimaru, but... he definitely only did the things he did because he had no other choice, and because he needed to protect the ones he cared about from the problems he created. But still, he didn't need to kill so many people, did he?
As if reading his thoughts, Sasuke placed a hand on the blond's shoulder.
"If he could, he would much rather shoot himself than anyone."
"I know..." Naruto grumbled, wondering how Itachi could keep himself sane through his job. If he had to kill someone, he didn't know if would be able to handle the guilt.
The two large doors were pushed open after a minute or two and a lower rank Akatsuki member came out with the dead man's body slung over his bulky shoulder. He threw it on the ground and ordered two smaller men to discard of it, Naruto not even wanting to know what they did with the bodies. Itachi and Hidan soon followed the gentleman out of the room, the leader on silver crutches. His hair was loose and flowing over his shoulders, his face a little paler than usual.
"Naruto-kun, Otouto, I'm glad you made it here safely," Itachi hobbled over to them and it sort of disturbed Sasuke to see his big brother in such a weak state. Hidan supported him, though, placing a chaste kiss right along his jaw. "Unfortunately, I have to say that Silo-kun and Haruka-kun ran into some trouble on the way here."
Naruto eyes widened. "What happened?.! They're ok, aren't they?.!" his fingers gripped Sasuke's hand tightly, but the raven didn't notice. He was too busy trying to keep his anger from boiling over. If Orochimaru had hurt his son in any way, he was going to slit the snake's throat!
Hidan nodded, grinning.
"Majik showed up just before Silo could be taken by some members from Oto. He gunned down the remaining men and everyone's back on there way here right now. Sasori said they should be arriving in twenty minutes, but..."
Itachi frowned.
"Orochimaru has made two moves, so now it's our turn. Once we have everyone here safely, I'll be sending a few of my men out to supposed Oto bases and have the buildings burned to the ground," the older Uchiha said calmly. "I've already had enough."
Naruto sighed, relieved now that he knew his son was alright. Everything was just getting too damn dangerous and close for comfort. When he'd first held Silo in his arms fifteen years ago, he'd never imagined something like this would ever happen. He never would've thought that someone like Orochimaru would be after his little boy.
"Kinpatsu, how about you and Sasuke-chan go rest in one of our guest rooms. They're made especially for 'special' visitors, such as yourselves. We don't let people in here often, so they've never really gone to use," Hidan had his arm around Itachi's shoulders, supporting him. "Naomi-chan, show them to a guest room," he ordered the same red-head from before, her smile not able to be any brighter.
"Yes, sir!" she stepped away from her friends and headed down a narrow hallway, the heels of her boots clicking against the floor noisily. "Follow me!"
Both Sasuke and Naruto trailed behind her, the raven glancing back at his sickly-looking brother. He'd never seen his sibling in such a condition and honestly, he was worried. Itachi was really the only true family he had left and he would be lying if he said he didn't love him.
"He doesn't want us to see him like that," Naruto stated, as if reading his lover's mind. "He's so strong, you know? It must be tough for him to go through all of this right after he got out of the hospital."
Naomi pushed open a screen door and bowed to them.
"This will be your room for the remainder of your stay. And remember, you can always trust in the Akatsuki to protect you!" she chirped. "Leader-sama said that you were top priority!"
Sasuke sighed, but smiled slightly.
"Thank you. We'll call for you if we need anything..."
"Okay!" then Naomi closed the door behind them and headed off in the direction of the main room where everyone else was, the chatter not as loud inside of the cozy room. The bed was a king size with plain white and light blue blankets, nothing extravagant. But what did they expect? Satin sheets? There was also a small dresser by the bed that had a single candle on it, a telephone, and a couple of worn out books.
"You know what?" Naruto sat down on the bed and crossed his arms over his bent knees, inhaling deeply. He chuckled. "I didn't realize what exactly we were getting ourselves into until just now. It all seemed so... unreal, like a movie. Everyone could die, everyone could live... it's like a game."
Sasuke sat next him and looked up at the ceiling.
"Aniki did say that... he would start a game. Unfortunately, I don't think this was what he meant," he let his eyes wander downward and land on the handsome face of his boyfriend. Truthfully, he could stare into those cerulean eyes for all eternity and never get bored. He believed that the only reason he was still sane was because of the wonderful man beside him.
Naruto snorted, running a hand through his unruly hair.
"This is bullshit... I didn't... I didn't get my forever with you," he smiled faintly, looking over at Sasuke with sad eyes. "Sappy, I know, but... I really wanted to grow old with you, experience everything in life with you. I wanted to live in some old retirement home with you and play bingo," he laughed lightly, putting his hand on Sasuke's.
"You act as if we're both going to die," Sasuke frowned. "As long as we stay here, we should be fine until the problem's solved."
The blond straightened up.
"Never think that everything's going to go your way all of the time," he told his lover. "Thinking that way... sometimes, it gets you nowhere. You have to plan ahead, look at things realistically for a change. There is a chance that we could both die..."
"That's called negative thinking," Sasuke smirked, trying to keep the mood light.
Naruto grinned, playing along.
"And that's called avoiding the topic."
"Well, I don't really want to talk about the possibility of us dying," Sasuke scowled.
"I don't want you to leave," Naruto said suddenly, off topic. There was raw emotion in those words, his adams apple bobbing slightly. His jaw was locked and tense, as if he was trying to keep himself from crying. "Not again."
Sasuke stared at him, surprised.
"I'm not... going to die, dobe," he sighed. "Nothing's going to happen to us, so--" he was rudely cut off when a pair of warm lips were pushed against his, soft and inviting. He groaned at the feeling and kissed back, his eyes slipping shut. Kissing Naruto was like sleeping in on a warm summer's day, in Sasuke's opinion. It made his stomach churn pleasantly and made him feel so comfortable.
Naruto wasn't perverted enough to just have his way with Sasuke because he was aroused. No, he just wanted to show his lover just how much he loved him. If things were to turn out horribly, then at least Sasuke would know he loved him with all of his heart. Even after learning that Sunako still cared for him... he didn't care. All he wanted was Sasuke.
"Naruto..." the raven whispered when those pink lips pulled away, his cheeks slightly flushed. Never in his life had he felt such a rush. It was as if there was something more to that kiss than there ever was before. "Don't expect me to let you do anything to me here."
The blond smiled, almost sadly.
"Sasuke, I love you," he breathed. "I just wanted--" lips smashed against his and he groaned, having never known that sweet words would get Sasuke to give in so easily. Or maybe it wasn't that, he thought. Maybe it was because his lover could feel how much he wanted to do this. His arms enveloped the young Uchiha in a warm embrace and their kiss deepened, as if it was the last time it was going to happen.
Sasuke didn't fight back when he was gently pushed back onto the comfortable bed, a tan hand on his pale cheek. Their mouths never seperated, two hearts beating at the same pace. They felt so connected in that moment, each of them pulling apart only to whisper to each other how much they cared about the other.
Naruto could feel tears well up in his eyes and he quickly shut them before Sasuke could see them. He leaned down and started another round of heated kisses, enjoying the feel of soft skin and rough cloth beneath him. He'd die over and over again just to feel this forever. Everything just felt so final and it scared him.
'I love you' is what was said the entire time they made love, loud enough for Itachi to hear when he passed by slowly on his crutches. He wasn't even fazed by the words of endearment or the act his brother and boyfriend were doing in one of his guest rooms. He knew how they felt and he was still trying to cope with the fact that there was a fifty percent chance he would survive and a fifty percent chance he wouldn't.
Face blank, he turned the corner and disappeared.
--
Majik looked down at Silo, who was holding both his and Haruka's hands, his head leaning against his boyfriend's shoulder. He looked so worn out, light bags under his eyes from worrying so much and not getting enough sleep. The dark-haired by was falling in and out of consciousness, his fingers gripping and ungripping both of their hands.
"I heard you're supposed to get surgery soon," Majik spoke quietly to Haruka, so as not to startle the crow. Deidara was grumbling up front, texting someone who seemed to be pissing him off, while Sasori was calmly meneuvering his way down side roads. "For your eyes, I mean."
Haruka was staring out the window, not too pleased with Majik at the moment. He'd taken advantage of Silo in a moment of weakness, had broken his heart when he'd left, and now he just decided to come back, thinking no one would be mad? He squinted, seeing faint blurs of color in the darkness.
"They discovered some sort of plant extract that can supposedly cure blindness. My father's supposed to take me next week, but I'm not really sure if I'll get to go."
Majik snorted.
"Do ya think you're goin' to die or somethin'? Do ya have no faith in the Akatsuki at all?"
Haruka frowned to himself, noticing that the conversation had attracted the attention of Deidara, who's crystal blue eyes could be seen staring at them in the rear-view miror. Sasori kept his eyes on the road, but Majik knew he was eavesdropping.
"Quit jumping to conclusions. It's not that I don't have faith in your organization, it's just I don't know how long it'll be before I can get back to the city," the blind teenager sneered, clearly not pleased. He was starting to dislike his best friend.
"No need to get so fuckin' pissy," Majik crossed his arms, letting Silo's small hand fall onto the seat.
"Calm down, un," Deidara growled at them. "Itachi-sama isn't in the best of conditions and he's resting, so keep your voices down when we arrive, got it?"
"Got it," both Haruka and Majik said in unison, snorting once they realized that. It was as if their friendship was crumbling right in front of their eyes. Though, neither of them wanted to admit that it was because of Silo.
--
Hidan was leaning against the closed door of his and Itachi's in-stay room. It was specially made for them when they had to stay at the headquarters overnight, though that was very rare. The light on the ceiling was dimmed enough to let his lover rest, the pale man breathing in deeply as he slept. He looked so exhausted, bags under his eyes and his frail body no longer hidden beneath his black and red cloak.
"You better make it through this," he whispered, frowning. He knew that Itachi was sick, but he hoped to whatever god existed that the man could make it through all of this in one piece. He'd had to leave the hospital early, before his wounds could completely heal, and he'd managed to get sick as well.
Pushing away from the wall, he stepped over to the bed that Itachi was resting on and kneeled down, using his left hand to brush stray bangs out of his husband's face. The male was definitely gorgeous, even when in ill health. He smiled when those endless pits of cobalt opened up slowly, a pink tongue darting out to run over dry lips.
"Hidan?" he asked quietly, moving his hand up to grab onto his lover's.
"I called in the medics to give you a check-up," Hidan commented, kissing those slender fingers. "They should be here in a little while."
Itachi let his lips lift upward slightly.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me, I do it all the time," the silver-haired Akatsuki member grinned cheekily. "Plus, you look like shit. I can't have people seeing me with such an ugly husband!" he laughed.
Itachi let himself chuckle as well, a serious expression falling onto his hardened features almost immediately after, his dark eyes looking straight into deep violet.
"Could you inform Tobi and everyone else to start heading back to Tokyo? I received a paper half an hour ago that said Oto was moving, so we need to strike quickly. Deidara and Sasori won't be able to participate, but I'm sure they won't be too disappointed," he inhaled deeply and sighed. "Also, tell them to take guns and ammunition, most targets will be moving."
"Yes, Itachi-sama," Hidan smiled softly, using Itachi's name. God, if he lost the man in front of him, he didn't know what he'd do. "But... would it be alright if I tagged along? It wouldn't be right for the leader's second hand man to stand by, watching everyone else."
"If you were to leave, then this might be our final moment together," Itachi stated, voice dull. "You choose to take this chance?"
With reluctance, Hidan nodded gripped his love's hand with his tightly.
"Then farewell," the dark-haired man couldn't hold back his pained smile. The mission was going to be an extremely dangerous one, so he knew that the chances of Hidan surviving were a forty to one hundred chance. His heart ached thinking about it, but he had to be strong. He was a leader, he couldn't show... he couldn't show his weakness.
But his shell was beginning to crack.
"I'll be back by midnight tonight," Hidan promised, grinning. "So don't worry your pretty little head, ok? Just focus on getting better. You're getting older, yes, but you've been through so much more than this. You can pull through."
"I'm not going to die," Itachi's face was about to give in to the fear and dread he felt. Once his husband left, he'd be left alone to worry about whether or not he'd survive and come back. He slipped his hand away from Hidan's and wrapped his arms around the taller man's shoulders, pressing his face against a warm neck.
Hidan reciprocated the embrace and closed his eyes. Life seemed to be so difficult.
"I'll come back. Don't worry."
"I know," Itachi replied, leaning back to kiss his lover passionately, remembering the last time he and Hidan had made love. He could almost feel those warm lips on his skin, those talented fingers against his jaw, the heated breath across his neck. If the man could come back alive, then they'd definitely relive that night, no matter how much pain Itachi would be in at the time. "Good luck."
"So out of character for you, Weasal-san! You never wish anyone luck," he licked his lips and laughed joyfully. He stood up and placed a final kiss on his husband's forehead. "But I will definitely come back tonight, so rest and I'll be right beside you later. I love you... bye..."
"Good-bye..." Itachi looked down, not watching Hidan leave and close the door behind him.
Everything suddenly felt so cold and empty.
--
(Four hours later in Tokyo)
Tobi peaked around one of the aging brick walls of an old house, watching the Oto members come closer in their jeeps and rusted trucks. They were laughing and sharing beer and cigarettes, as carefree as a bunch of newborns. Orochimaru had different men control their own sections of members, so he was positive that the snake wasn't involved in that group at all. That was good. It meant that it would be a lot easier to take them down.
"Are the machine guns set up?" he spoke into a little mouthpiece by his lips that curled up into an earpiece. "You can use as many bullets as you want, there are no civilians in this area. It's an abandoned construction zone."
"Machine guns are in position, Tobi-san!" a female voice came from his earpiece, followed by Kakuzu, the man cursing for the lower members to hurry up and find the grenades.
The masked gentleman pulled out his gun and stepped back, running up a rickety stairwell that led to the balcony of the old him, his hazel eyes calculating the exact movements of the men below. He reached into his coat and pulled out a small bullet, its red hue making it different from a regular bullet.
"Hold the gun as far away from you as possible so that the gasoline doesn't get on you," the same female voice spoke up, serious.
Tobi loaded his weapon and did just that, pointing it at the large crowd of men. He fired and over a hundred pairs of eyes shot up to his direction, only looking away when a shower of dark rain fell over them. Before they knew it, Hidan stood on the roof of the apartment complex across the street, a bunch of grenades in his arms.
"Burn in hell, fuckers!" he shouted and laughed, yanking the pins out of each one individually and throwing them down into the large group. There were shouts and guns fired, but those were all consumed by the yelling and screaming when the grenades went off and the men went up in flames.
"A few men escaped down back alleyways on your side, Tobi-san!"
The brunette jumped from the balcony and landed in a crouched position, quickly springing up and running behing the home, the tall grass gowing up to his covered knees. He hadn't had this sort of a rush in a while, he thought, spotting a moving figure up ahead. He loaded his gun with regular bullets and aimed, shooting the Oto member in the back of the neck. He shot three more times into the shadows when he saw something move.
"Why, if it isn't Tobi-kun," a voice came from behind the Akatsuki member, causing his eyes to widen his eyes behind his orange mask. He turned around slowly, only to see Kabuto standing there with a small pistol pointed at him. The younger man pushed his spectacles further up the bridge up his nose and smiled. "It's been a while. A couple of years?"
Tobi frowned.
"Kabu--" the gun was fired and he felt a bullet enter his chest, his body stiffening. He stumbled back and fell over a fallen trash can, his back hitting a pile of filled trash bags. His chest heaved harshly and he coughed up blood, his mask hanging around his neck by its thin string.
Kabuto smirked.
"I just said that it'd been a while. That wasn't an invitation to speak."
He put his gun away and pulled out a small paring knife, which was usually used to peel fruits or vegetables. He looked at his reflection in the silver knife and grinned darkly, kicking at Tobi's side roughly. He watched in satisfaction as the male coughed up more blood, trying to move. Unfortunately, his body was starting to go numb.
"Just in case you haven't noticed, I filled the bullet with poison. That's why you can't move your limbs," he chuckled, bending down and holding the knife by Tobi's face. "I'm only going to kill you, as a warning to Itachi-san. Now, do you have any departing words?"
Tobi's face was mostly blank, his body becoming cold and unresponsive.
So this is the end, is it? Matsuri, Tooku... I'm sorry that I can't be in your lives longer...
He didn't speak, so Kabuto snorted and twirled the knife in his hand before plunging it downward into Tobi's neck, sliding it down until blood was running everywhere. He laughed darkly as the man coughed and sputtered, not able to get any air.
Itachi-san... forgive me for failing you... At least it was me.. instead... instead of Hidan...san... I... I just... just...
His eyelids slowly closed and his head lulled to the side, blood running from the corner of his mouth.
"Good-bye," Kabuto smirked and stood up, tossing the knife into the dirt. "Sweet dreams."
--
"Tobi!" Hidan called, kicking one of the burnt bodies to the side so that one of the lower members could take it and throw it onto the pile. "Tobi!" he called again, annoyed. "Where the fuck are you?.!"
"H-H-Hidan-san!" a skinny man with shirt black hair ran out from behind the back of one of the houses. "Hidan-san, come here! Quickly!"
Hidan ran to him, shoving his gun into his cloak and wiping blood from his neck. He wondered what the newbie was so upset about and stopped dead in his tracks when he turned the corner and saw his good friend's body lying with the trash, pale and unmoving. Blood was all over his neck and face, soaking into his cloak as well. His hair was even matted down with the thick substance.
"Tobi..." he muttered.
"His throat was slit open, sir... and there's a gunshot wound to his chest..." the new member spoke quietly, clearly upset with the death of one of his most respected senseis.
Anger wasn't even the right word to describe was was coursing through his veins at that moment. He would hunt down whoever killed his friend and rip them limb from limb, and he would enjoy every goddamn moment of it. Tobi still had a beautiful wife and growing little girl to watch over... he couldn't be dead!
"Who did this...?"
The skinnier member slowly placed his hand on Hidan's shoulder for comfort, but he was shoved away harshly.
"Who the fuck did this?.!"
Please review! And awwww, Tobi's dead :sniffles: I loved him.
