Possession

Disclaimer: I own none of Naruto characters. They rightly belong to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei. But I do own some of the characters that I made up to be members of Akatsuki.

Warning: Shounen-ai/Yaoi. Incest. If you find any of the said materials disturbing, I suggest you leave this page immediately. You've been warned, so don't flame me about that.

Pairing: Eventually Itachi/Sasuke and Neji/Naruto.

Chapter XIV: A Place Called Home

"I'm home." He said to no one in particular. He didn't care if anyone heard him as he took off his shoes and walked in. He didn't expect anyone to welcome him yet she was always there. She who always smiled whenever she saw him back. She who smiled whenever her son came home. She who would embrace him with both of her delicate arms…so frail and easily breakable those arms were yet so protective that they never failed to keep her loved one warm. And he would put a gentle kiss on his forehead.

His mother. The most beautiful woman in the world.

His mother. The woman who had loved him to the last of her breath and every droplet of her blood.

"My dear child, Itachi," He heard she say—her voice so sweet, so melodic. "Welcome home." Her smile was real and loving. Unconditional love. So pure and never lying. And he remembered her scent…so fresh and sweet like those peonies in the sunlit field. She who always smiled knowing that he was safe. She who hugged him close without caring that he was stained with blood.

His mother. The one and only woman that he ever cared for.

His mother. The one and only person who could make him feel like being home.

…Yet her love was never solely for him.

"Nii-san!"

And then a young boy ran up to him…right into his bloodstained arms. His little brother…so pure…so innocent…so foolish…looking so happy snuggling in his arms and didn't care about the blood that tainted his clean pale face. His foolish little brother…so frail and easy to break. He who always need his protection, who would always follow him.

His foolish little brother who solely belonged to him.

He was his…and his alone…

His father said he had to be strong, for he was the true heir of the clan. He grew up strong without any need for protection. And he always noticed how those two arms of his mother wrapped protectively around his little brother. His little brother who needed more protection than him. His weak little brother who needed protection from a woman so fragile like a glass rose…

His mother. Whose life he had taken with his own hands.

His mother. The woman who had loved her sons to the last of her breath and every droplet of her blood.

"My dear child, Itachi," And he heard she say as blood spilled from her mouth like crimson rivulet. "I love you no matter what." Blood...more blood…leaking out of her eyes as if they were tears. Blood…seeped out through her clothes even where he didn't stab her, soaking her all over with smelly red liquid. And he found himself frozen in place, staring at the walking bleeding corpse of his mother staggering her way toward him.

"My dear child, Itachi…" She whispered as she wrapped her two delicate arms around him—warm blood seeped through her sleeves wetting his skin and he noted that her embrace was so cold unlike before. She was dead. Living nevermore. "Take care of your brother for me. My sweet little child…Promise me that you wouldn't hurt him. Promise me." Her bloody fingers caressed his cheek and he shuddered at how cold those fingers felt.

He stared at his dead mother, looking into her bleeding eyes. "Why are you asking me now, mother?" He heard himself ask.

His mother smiled sadly and hugged him closer. "You love him, don't you?" She was so close. He could smell her sweet scent mingling with blood. The blood that didn't stop flowing. "Don't you?" Yet before he could say a word, she melted into a puddle of blood on the floor with a screeching sound of pain.

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Sharingan eyes snapped open. Sweats trickled from every inch of their owner's body as he scanned his surrounding warily. He was still in the forest. Cool air whipped against his skin as nocturnal birds crooned incoherently. A dream? He frowned, running a hand through his damp hair and brushed some that had plastered on his forehead away. It was so long ago that he had a dream of anything of his past that he had stopped dreaming. Then why now?

"My dear child, Itachi, I love you no matter what." His mother's voice echoed in his ears as if he was standing in between two cliffs, ringing over and over again.

"Take care of your brother for me. My sweet little child…Promise me that you wouldn't hurt him. Promise me." Her voice was so clear as if she was really saying it straight to him just a few minutes ago. And her image had been so right there before his eyes.

"You love him, don't you?" Itachi closed his eyes and pulled his reserved cloak around him tighter, a deep frown marring his fair face as a soft whisper escape him. "I'm sorry, mother…"

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"Hey, Shikamaru!" Naruto waved at the said teen who had his usual bored expression on his face despite a pretty blond girl walking along side with him.

"Hey." Shikamaru said, not bothering to wave back since it was too bothersome doing so. Yet before he could say anything the ever-enthusiastic blond asked with a big grin on his face: "Are you dating?"

"No." Temari replied instead. "He was just too lazy to do anything that I've to drag him out. Besides, Konoha's festival sure is intriguing for a foreigner like me."

"Oh…so you're really dating." Naruto said, not losing that big grin on his lips. And Temari glared him a dagger, which Naruto seemed to become immune to given that he had been around Sasuke a lot.

"So…" Shikamaru began. "What about you three? Don't tell me that you're dating a threesome."

"Oh yeah! We are!" Naruto chirped happily. Much too happy, much to Sasuke and Neji's chagrins.

"No, we aren't." Sasuke quickly interrupted while Neji had his hand covered the loud Hokage wannabe's mouth, preventing him from saying any more words that would give the others ideas. "It's the dobe's idea. I think he just likes playing around like a little kid and…"

"Wants some free ramen." Neji finished. One arm still had Naruto locked and the other still covered his loud mouth, which produced a muffled sound into Neji's palm.

"I see…" Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "See ya around then." He said and was dragged off by Temari to the nearest booth. Keyword: drag.

Sasuke and Neji looked at each other, then at Naruto who was still had his mouth covered and sighed. "So where do we go first?" asked Sasuke but was returned with an "OWW!" from the older teen for Naruto was so desperate to speak that he had bitten Neji's hand to free himself, which worked effectively but not with a oh-so-friendly glare from the Hyuuga.

"To Ichiraku, of course!" said Naruto, pointing his finger toward the said booth's direction. But quickly changed his mind as he saw the look on his two companies' pretty faces. "Ah well…we could try some games first."

It was Naruto's idea that suggested that they went to Konoha's annual festival where many, many shops from many, many places including other countries were to gather. There were games for the prizes also.

And truth be told, the two geniuses had completely forgotten about it and hadn't join in with the fun for all the years that this festival had ever been started, for Neji was too busy with his mission and Sasuke was…Sasuke. He wouldn't give a damn and said he wasn't interested, so during all the years that this festival had been started with the encouragement of those who wanted to promote the village's commerce, it was always Naruto having fun with it. Sometimes with Iruka-sensei and sometimes with the so-called ero-sennin.

And when the blond kitsune suggested that Neji had agreed, for they both thought that the Uchiha really needed a break and they could all enjoy themselves.

"Oh shit! I miss!" Naruto snapped his fingers in irritation as the small pink ball he threw miss the basket by just an inch. "One more time!" He said, slamming his…well, in this case, Sasuke's money since the blond boy had made sure he wouldn't have to pay for anything with his puppy dog eyes…on the table.

Thud.

"Oh damn! I miss again!"

That was when Neji and Sasuke started to wonder why the blond dobe could enter into the ANBU squad now that he couldn't even throw a ball right into the basket. Maybe he just pretended to miss so that he could make them broke?

"Gah! Damnit! I want that stuffed frog! One more game!"

…Or maybe not.

"I wonder how you really throw your kunai, Naruto." Neji spoke up, amused. Naruto pouted and thrust the pink ball into Neji's palm and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's more difficult than you think."

Neji tossed him a confident smirk. "Let's see."

And Sasuke wasn't surprise to see Neji's ball fall right into the awaiting basket as the people gathering around the booth cheered loudly while Naruto had a funny look on his face. "You're just fluke." The blond boy said.

Neji gave a smug smirk. "How many more times do I need to prove that it isn't?"

Naruto grinned. "Get that first prized stuffed frog for me."

The Hyuuga genius shrugged. "Fine."

If he didn't know Naruto better, Sasuke would just stand there and wait for the two to finish their proving game. But because this was the stubborn dobe who didn't give up easily until he finally won, the raven-haired boy decided that he should find something else to do because he was sure the dobe would still be here. Not wanting to alarm the overprotective blond, the young Uchiha shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away from the booth silently.

As he walked aimlessly around, his eyes then caught the sight of two boys, apparently they were siblings playing a game at another booth…

"Wow, nii-san, you're so good! Teach me! Teach me!" The younger boy said, pulling at his brother's sleeve.

The older one grinned and patted his brother on the head. "Hey, next time, ok?"

"Really? Promise?"

…Somehow that sounded so familiar…

"Do I ever break a single promise?"

The younger boy grinned back and hugged his brother's waist, for he was so small. "Never! You're the best brother in the world! Now could you get me that stuffed dragon over there?"

"No problem. Just wait and see…"

…Yet so different…

Sasuke quickly shifted his gaze away from the two brothers, not wanting to hear any more of the conversation. He quickened his paces, wanting to return to where his friends were. Yet as he strode and strode, it seemed as if the conversations of those around him were of the same kind. And the more he strode, the more blur the images of the present became, distorting into the shape of his old memories.

"Nii-san…nii-san…"

Escape. He needed to escape from here.

"Tomorrow, Sasuke."

And soon the raven haired-boy found himself standing in the forlorn field of grasses. Away from everything…away from everyone. He panted lightly as he took in his new surrounding. He was alone. Alone in the vast field of tall grasses where the cold full moon shone brightly above. He took a few step—the grasses made a soft rustle—toward the large single tree standing so proudly alone in the field and took a seat.

Yet even now that he was here, those memories still haunted him non-stop. He sighed and leaned back against the solid trunk, looking up at the shining moon.

One could never escape from their past.

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Glittering chandelier, beautiful with white, red, green and blue shades of crystals, some were slightly jaded, swayed lightly in the night wind, causing an echoing sound of little chiming. A large chunk of the well-decorated wall was missing, shattered pieces of glass from the windows and splinters of wood from what used to be parts of a king-sized bed scattered on the cracked floor which gave a scary creaking sound as he took each step.

Ruined was the great mansion of Akatsuki.

Creak. Creak.

Step after step was taken as blood-red orbs wandered around the room aimlessly. Cool wind blew in through the large gap in the wall, caressing his feature gently with its invisible fingers.

Creak. Creak.

His eyes lowered as they caught a sight of something shining, reflecting with all its might as if to compete with the glory of the bright full moon. He quickened his pace and crouched down to pick the object up. Even with the little light in the room, it wasn't difficult to figure out what it was.

A piece of shattered silver chain.

A small piece of metal gleamed mockingly in his palm. Even with it now being just a small part of its older longer self, the mockery didn't become, if anything, less. A chain that loved to the mock its captive with its bright silver flash. Yet now it seemed as if the little piece was mocking no other but him. His eyes narrowed as he balled the little mocker in such a tight grip that his pale knuckle turned ghostly white and stood up wordlessly.

"Can't sleep?" A deep voice rang from behind him yet the Uchiha prodigy didn't seem to be even bit startled. He turned slowly, regarding the shark-like man with sheer silence that asked and answered the question in itself.

"When I first saw that you're not sleeping there, I know you'd be back here." Kisame chuckled lightly. His yellowish eyes traveled from his raven haired-partner to his fisted hand. He then stopped chuckling and his expression had become serious for the first time that night. "I know what's bothering you, Itachi-san."

"…You're…quite observing, aren't you, Kisame?" Itachi asked slowly.

"You could say that." The shark-like man replied.

There was silence for a while.

Finally, Kisame spoke up: "You know what, Itachi-san, if you need an answer, we could always travel back to Konoha."

"…" Itachi eyed his partner skeptically.

After the incident and finally finishing negotiating with those business people, the Akatsuki members were now working together in pairs again until they were sure that they were out of Konoha's reach and where each of them wanted to go, it was up to their free will yet no one would ever expect them to run straight back into Konoha. And even if Itachi was to go there, he was sure his partner wouldn't want to yet the shark was now asking him to go back and even said that he would go with him. It was all too strange.

"Don't give me that look. I just want to help."

"Why?"

"We're partners for years now, Itachi-san." Kisame began. "And I think I know you more than you know how much that I know. And if you want me to answer more honestly, I've to say that I find it quite amusing and you know that I won't miss anything fun. And it's even more fun if we risk going back into Kohoha." The shark-like man grinned.

Yes, Itachi knew that Kisame had a strange choice of humor. But…he had never known that he was this strange.

"So…if we go to Konoha, I will have some fun fooling around with those shinobi while you can have your time with your brother. Sounds like a plan, eh?" Kisame's grin became even wider.

"Whatever." said Itachi, turning his back on his partner and started walking away…

Kisame watched him for a while before speaking again. "You know what, Itachi-san…"

Itachi stopped dead in his track.

"Sometimes a lie not only can mess with the others but it can mess with the liar himself."

"…We're leaving for Konoha now. Don't waste any more time."

…Return to his hometown…

Kisame then let out his chuckle again. "Know you'd say that."

TBC

Quite a long chapter this time but I bet the next one will be even longer since it will be the last one, the conclusion of everything. Anyway, this chapter didn't turn out as I expected it to be. I hope you don't find it too long and boring.

Review pretty please. (With cheery on top!)