Well, originally I had wanted to put this chapter first… and the following one second… then my editor said I should put the next one first instead… but I realise it's been over a month… and I still haven't finished that chapter, so I'm not going to waste your time anymore… I apologize for the wait, but… I'm lazy… I should have the other chapter finished REALLY soon… I'm gonna get Kyuubi-kun to bug me about it all weekend so I get it finished.
Chapter Title: 63. Crumbling Alliance
"And would you say that the eastern wall is an easy target?"
"N-no, sir. They've p-posted a number of guards on all walls, and we haven't yet figured out the pattern in the shifts."
"The guard change is still erratic?"
"It would appear that way, s-sir."
"Figure it out soon, or else we'll feed you to the demon."
"R-right, sir! I'm s-sorry, you'll get the report right away!" The young Sound ninja ran away, practically shaking in his sandals. The man he had been reporting to growled, annoyed, at his retreating back. There was very little organization in Sound, and it was starting to irritate the rest of the ninjas.
"I wish you would stop using me as a threat to get your work done." Gaara exclaimed, stepping out of the door the two men had been talking in front of. He didn't look too pleased with what he'd just heard. The other ninja shrugged, not taking the young man's words to heart.
"These ones have grown up listening to stories of mighty Orochimaru, the man who defied the Akatsuki in order to make his own village. They don't have too much respect for us anymore." Gaara gave him an amused look.
"And you think other villages respect you?"
"They at least fear us." He replied. "Sound has been brought up defying our power, not fearing it. You're scarier to them than we are."
"You'd thing your Sharingan would be enough." Itachi looked back and nodded before reaching for the handle on the door into the room Gaara had just left. "Itachi-kun, one more thing." Gaara stepped forward, grabbing the sleeve of the older Uchiha's cloak. "Our alliance is starting to crumble."
"I've noticed." Itachi nodded again, looking solemn. "Akatsuki doesn't like having only one claw in Sand. They're used to having total control."
"Sand doesn't like the idea of teaming up with criminals." Gaara added. Both men looked at each other for a moment, contemplating what had just been said.
"We can handle it, Sabaku no Gaara." Itachi gave the younger man a small smirk and headed inside.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
Itachi stood before the other members of the rebel ninja group, which had grown in its numbers over the years. He remained quiet and confident as the men and women discussed the future of the group. It occurred to him vaguely that he was the only one standing at the front, but he could care less.
"The village will have a large number of ninja posted on the north wall."
"The west!" Argued another member. "We attacked from the north last time, so they will expect us to attack elsewhere the next time."
"Or they'll think that we'd remember that too and keep their guards on the north wall, in case we attacked there again. They'll have noticed it was a terribly weakness in their defence and fixed it."
"You give too much credit to Konoha." A different person spoke up. "They're nothing but dumb brutes who will do what their mindless queen tells them to. They'll probably stick most of their defences close to the Hokage's offices and forget about the outer walls." Itachi frowned, knowing that his comrades were starting to become dumb and lazy, due to the alliances they'd made. No one had to do any real reconnaissance now that they were becoming more immersed in the activities inside the boardroom instead of the action taking place outside of it. He coughed purposely, in an attempt to get the room's attention.
"I'm not sure how much you people actually know about how Konohagakure actually works, but they aren't dumb. They know that you all are here right now debating which wall would have the most security, and they've done the smartest thing they can. Their wall's guards are evenly distributed according to rank and ability. No matter which wall we attack, we'll meet the same resistance. I've already had some scouts get me information about the east wall and the scheduling for the change in shifts."
"You want to focus an attack on one wall?" The man on Itachi's right asked.
"Well, we either focus it in one area, or we attack from all sides." When the group gave him a blank stare, Itachi sighed and explained. "If we spread out our attack over the entire border of Leaf, they won't have the resources to call for back up. They'll fall to us, but only if we truly are the stronger force."
"It's not just strength we'll need." Temari spoke up from the doorway. Akatsuki had been allowed to use Sand's offices for any meetings, but no one had told her about the one they were just having. "We would also have to be the most prepared. Organization is also key in terms of a victory for Sunagakure as well as Akatsuki. If even a part of the group is in disagreement, we'll fall to the Leaf." She nodded to Itachi before excusing herself for the interruption and leaving. Almost immediately, the group was flustered with argument.
"How dare that child tell us how to run things!"
"What would she know about wars?"
"The insolence of her, walking in on our private meeting!"
Itachi sighed to himself and pulled out a seat. He hated when the group started to get political on him. He never cared much for the government's decisions, and concerned himself more with the actual following through of those actions. The final product was what ultimately mattered, not the suits that make the decision. He rolled his eyes and turned to Kisame, who had been sitting on his other side the whole time.
"Makes you almost wish you had stayed with your village, doesn't it?" Kisame whispered to him, leaning over to make their conversation private. Itachi shot him a glare.
"I may not like the politics that's taken over this organization, but I'll never regret my decisions." He hissed. "I'm doing the right thing."
"Survival of the fittest." Kisame shrugged and returned his attention back to the argument, which was starting to look like a fistfight.
"Exactly my thoughts." Itachi replied, though his words were more for himself than his partner. "It's just survival."
"Itachi-san!" A voice broke through the dark-haired missing-nin's thoughts. He lifted his head to see that they had reached an agreement in their debating.
"What?" He asked, agitation edging into his voice.
"We want you to go and do some more looking into who exactly guards the wall in what areas." Itachi nodded. "Find out who Leaf's powerhouses are and their weaknesses. I need to make sure we can take out those ninja's before the fighting gets too intense. That will be the key to our success, not some girl's notion of organization." The Uchiha rose from his seat and bowed low in respect before taking his leave from the stuffy boardroom.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
"Sabaku no Gaara!" Itachi called out, seeing the demon carrier walking down the hall away from him. The younger man turned at the voice and nodded stiffly. "Something's upset you."
"Not that you really care." Itachi smirked, but knew the redhead would answer his concerns. "Been talking with the Kazekage."
"And?"
"And he's losing control over Sand. He's letting his advisors make his decisions for him and he's losing sight of the real reasons for this war."
"Being a little petty, aren't you?"
"He's abusing his power. They're abusing his power. If he doesn't wise up soon, he'll lose more than just the village." Itachi nodded and they began walking to the front doors of the building. Neither man was meant for the indoors.
"It's only natural to be worried over your brother." Gaara gave him a bemused look and shook his head.
"Because you're the god of looking out for your brother's well being." He retorted, snidely. Itachi turned to him and pursed his lips into a grimace.
"Kankurou never seemed like Hokage material to me." Gaara shook his head, not bothered by the change in subject.
"Me either."
"Have you ever wondered about the decision he made to take the position?" Itachi asked. The younger man shrugged dismissively. "That might have been for you and you would never have known it."
"Kankurou was chosen by those advisors of his. They wanted someone they could control, and I guess he was just the perfect candidate for that position." Itachi shrugged and led them both to a small bench just outside and under the shade of a few trees. There was a silent agreement between both of them that the parties they were working on behalf of kept them on an unbearably tight leash.
"You could have been chosen, just as easily."
"I never would have allowed those men to control me."
"That might not have been your decision. The position of Kazekage would have been thrust upon you before you could develop your sense of identity and rebellion." They sat together in silence for a moment, the thought rolling through their minds violently, shaking the stability of both men's choices.
"I still think he should think about how he's running this place. There are more important things to worry about than me." Itachi smirked to himself, leaning back on the bench.
"Maybe you should have been elected Kazekage."
"What a laugh." Gaara replied, rolling his eyes. "Me protecting the village that tried to kill me a number of times over."
"Stranger things have happened." Another comfortable silence came over the pair before something occurred to Itachi. "Your sister accidentally walked in on our meeting. It was quite illuminating." Gaara looked at him for a moment before hanging his head in disappointment.
"That was no accident." He muttered. "She'd been warned not to walk in on your meetings. We know what you've done to people higher up than her who've interrupted your meetings. What did she say?"
"Nothing too drastic. Just some things about keeping everyone organized."
"Ah. No orders to off her, I wonder."
"Haven't heard anything."
"What are they planning in terms of Konohagakure?" Itachi didn't answer for a moment, and Gaara turned to the man, wondering if he'd been heard, but saw that the Uchiha had become distant, thinking about something else.
"They want me to eliminate Konohagakure's powerhouses."
"Do you even know who they are?"
"Of course. I'm not blind."
"I assume the big ones include the people we're both after?"
"Correct. Uzumaki and Sasuke probably haven't even thought about all of the underlying reasons for this war." Itachi sighed, running a hand through his hair, pulling off the vandalized Konohagakure hitai-ate. He looked at the article for a moment before dropping it to the bench beside him.
"Naruto knows." Gaara replied. Itachi looked at him, his face aging with the exhaustion that had settled in.
"You two have talked?"
"No, but I know him." Gaara said. "We're one and the same. He's not dumb enough to forget that your organization is after his demon. As for Sasuke… I've never really been able to read him properly, but I'm sure he's been too busy with other things to worry about the politics of this war." Itachi rolled his shoulders back and slouched back, leaning his arms over the back of the wooden seat,
"Ever get tired of it all; the fighting?"
"I've been fighting since I was born. If you don't get killed, you get used to it."
"Have there ever been times where you've wanted to give up? Take the easier path and let the demon take over?" Gaara looked over at the older man, a puzzled look coming over his face, and he knew there was some deeper meaning behind the Uchiha's words. It couldn't be as obvious as just the current war they were in, or his demon.
"Many times, but I'm still in control." He answered. "I would like nothing more than to sleep, and pretend I didn't have this horrible part of myself clawing its way out of me, but I cant."
"What's stopping you? You could just take a nap right now, and you wouldn't feel the pain of your decision."
"But I would, Itachi. If I didn't stop the demon, he would hurt people I care deeply about. If I didn't stop him, there would be no one else to protect them. It may be naïve, and the village may never realise what I've done for them, but I sacrifice this one little thing so they can live happy lives." Itachi remained quiet and reflective for a moment and Gaara wondered if his response had helped the older man any. He got his answer quick enough when he was offered a small smile.
"Thank you, Sabaku no Gaara."
(Star)(Star)(Star)
Gaara left Itachi on the bench, more than a little bit disturbed by their conversation. He was unnerved by the simple fact that Itachi was starting to seem like a nice guy, despite what all the rumours said about his real personality. Even the guy's brother wanted him dead. He hoped that the older Uchiha wasn't suddenly developing some sort of conscious because of the war. It wouldn't make a good impact on the already waning reputation the Akatsuki had. He shook his head, focusing his attention back to the small group of men and women he was in charge of.
"How is the training schedule suiting you?" He asked, looking to one of the jounin men. They shrugged, still slightly afraid of talking normally with him, due to his own reputation. A trained killer doesn't just become a teddy bear overnight. "You all know that you're forbidden to kill any of your enemies?" He received a wave of nodding heads and folded his hands over his chest. "Think of it as a test of your skills as a shinobi."
"When do we move out Gaara-sama?" One woman spoke up, brave enough to speak, but the fear still evident in the quavering of her voice.
"Any day now, Kazekage will issue the orders to move in again. Be ready for my signal." They all nodded and he dismissed them to continue training.
"Impressive command you have over your squad, little brother." Gaara spun around at the sound of Kankurou's voice, only slightly worried that his orders had been overheard, but there was no indication on the older man's face.
"That is the key to a leader's success, Kazekage." He replied, bowing slightly in mock respect. "You need complete control over your subjects or else they're prone to mutiny."
"Wise words, Gaara." His brother replied, still not giving away that he'd heard anything blasphemous and turned away from the training grounds. "Continue the good work, brother." He continued on his way, as though his visit was nothing more than another inspection, and Gaara had to wonder how long he'd been watching him talk to his shinobi.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
"You asked to see me, Kazekage?" Temari poked her head through the door, spotting her brother buried beneath a pile of papers still to be signed. He looked up at her interruption and smiled.
"Come in!" He waved her in, placing his signature on one last document before sliding the papers out of his way. "Can I talk to you about something, brother to sister?" She nodded, motioning for him to continue and noting that his advisors were not with him like they usually were. "I'm afraid of something." He told her.
"What could you have to be afraid of? You're a capable ninja, there is very little that you couldn't hold your own against." He shook her head, silently telling her that's not what he had meant.
"I was walking around the training grounds on my own, and I overheard Gaara talking to his squad."
"Alone?" Temari replied, but quieted when she saw his frown. Now was not the time to chide him on successfully losing his guardians.
"He was telling them not to kill their enemies, only to knock them out."
"What about that made you so worried?"
"Do you think our little brother is planning a rebellion?" He asked, looking anxious. Temari shrugged, letting her older brother hear the honest truth.
"Would you blame him if he did?" He sighed but shook his head. "I truthfully don't know, but if he is, it's for the good of this village."
"Why must he oppose me!" Kankurou slammed his fist down on the table, unsettling a few of the papers he had yet to sign.
"It's not you he's fighting against. You're his older brother, Kankurou. He loves you and respects you. It's just those horrible advisors of yours."
"What's so bad about them?"
"They're controlling you. Everyone who has half a brain can see it." In an instant, her brother was on the defensive as though her words were a personal insult. He stood up and leaned forward over the desk.
"You have no right to challenge the decisions they help me make." He snarled. She remained in her seat, unfazed by her brother's little temper display.
"As a citizen of this village, I have every right to question the decisions you make. Especially if those decisions are going to put me or the people I love in any kind of danger." Kankurou sighed, his anger quickly deflated, and slumped back into his chair.
"What is it about those men that has both you and Gaara so upset?" Temari thought about all the conversations she'd had with her younger brother, trying to recall the list they'd gone through.
"You're the puppet-master, but to them you're nothing more than an oversized puppet that they can manipulate into doing what they want. You've become too caught up in trying to do the right thing for Gaara that you've failed to see that an entire village's happiness is also at stake." Her brother sighed and pulled the Kazekage hat over his eyes.
"It's not as though I can just get rid of them." He replied. "It's not that simple."
"The most important decisions never are." She said, smiling.
"You know, I'm not making any decisions based on just this conversation alone. There may not even be any changes."
"So long as you think about what was said, that's all I have the right to ask of you." She smiled and stood from her small chair. "Please do thing about the greater good."
"Family will always come first, even if he hates me." Temari nodded her head and turned to leave when a small pigeon flew into the room, a small scroll tied to its feet. It fluttered down onto Kankurou's desk and held out its leg to have the package removed.
"What's that?" The blonde woman asked, curiosity getting the better of her manners.
"I sent out a scout to do some research for me on a few people, this must be his research." Temari returned to the desk, leaning over to see the paper being unrolled. The bird had flown back out the window long before. As they both read the contents of the report, a startled silence enveloped the room. The meaning behind the ink on the paper was more than Kankurou had expected, and such information made his life even more unmanageable.
"What are you going to do about this?" Temari spoke up after a moment.
"I don't know. Temari, can you please excuse me so I can have a moment to think over this new development?"
"Of course, Kazekage-sama." All of a sudden, it was back to business again, the previous moments they shared all but erased from their minds as more important things took precedence.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
There was a new set of uneasy among the remaining members of Akatsuki. While Itachi and a few other members had been sent out on various errands, the remaining members had discussed their alliance with Hidden Sand. There were some concerns brought up and addressed, but one problem was harder than the others to smooth out.
"He's never truly been a member of the group."
"But that's because we never allowed him to become a true member. Or have you forgotten the goal we had before the fox demon?" Kisame frowned, turning to the man beside him. He didn't understand what the other two Akatsuki members were arguing over.
"What are they talking about?" He asked softly, nudging Sasori in the side. The other ninja turned to him and gave him a confused look before remembering that Kisame hadn't been around that early, coming into the group a year after Itachi had.
"Almost fifteen years ago, our objective was the Sharingan." He replied loud enough for the others to hear and put in their own comments. The newer members remained silent, wanting to hear the story. "You've seen Hatake Kakashi's eye, haven't you? And you've all seen the kind of power he has and can gain from that single eye. If Akatsuki could harness the power of the Uchiha's bloodline limit, we could become unstoppable."
"If it weren't for that stupid boy's brilliant idea of killing off his family members, we might have had those eyes today."
"So then, how did Itachi manage to get into Akatsuki?"
"We cornered him." Sasori grinned. "We were ready to kill him for those eyes, but he made us an offer. So we gained a member with Sharingan in both eyes."
"Why didn't you just take the eyes?" Another junior member asked.
"You've obviously never gone up against Itachi in a match." Kisame replied, understanding setting in. The Uchiha eyes had never been surgically implanted because they had never been successfully retrieved. "But what about Sasuke?" Kisame turned to another member. The man cursed loudly and glared at the mention of the younger Uchiha's name.
"There's another thing. Itachi-san lied to us about his little brother."
"He lied?"
"Told us the boy had no talent for the Uchiha bloodline limit. He told us that Sasuke would never inherit the eyes and therefore was not worth using. Everyone worthwhile had been killed by the bastard."
"You shouldn't be bad mouthing the young man, he is our only connection to the Hidden Sand, through Gaara." One of the older members spoke up. He had on a sweet smile, but his eyes were hardened. "I don't think it would be wise to allow our pride to overrule our decision to destroy Konohagakure completely."
"But he gave up the chance to capture the demon when he had the chance!" Another member shot up, garnering a chorus of agreements.
"Those were just rumours." Kisame replied, frowning slightly. His hand twitched and he was reminded of how much he, like Itachi, hated politics. "All the people we've talked to have conflicting ideas of what they saw happen."
"But many of them admitted that they saw Itachi and Naruto within a few feet of each other! Naruto couldn't have possibly defeated him, or shown a threat, so there are no other options." Another of the more youthful men stood up and growled under his breath.
"He should be punished for his betrayal of the organization." He demanded. "From the sounds of it, this isn't the first time he's betrayed us either! How can you allow his kind of deception to continue?"
"You shouldn't be too quick to judge, Toushirou." The man, Toushirou, bowed his head in shame and took his seat once more. "Itachi is not the kind of shinobi you want as your opponent. I'm sure that once we have the numbers and the talent, we'll confront Uchiha about his lies."
"What about our alliance with Sand?" Sasori asked, changing the dangerous subject to something a little less hostile. "How long is this deal going to last?"
"Until we have the demon in our possession."
"What if we expanded our horizons after we have Uzumaki?"
"Expand?"
"Sabaku no Gaara."
(Star)(Star)(Star)
The assembled members of Kankurou's advisors were starting to get antsy, stuck in a meeting room of their own. They had called a conference with their Kazekage nearly an hour ago, but he still had yet to show up. No one really wanted to start the debating without the man, but they had many things to still discuss about the progress of their war.
Just as one of the eldest members stood to start the meeting, regardless of Kankurou's absence, the man they had been waiting for stumbled into the room. He looked up, apologizing profusely before taking his seat at the head of the table. The old man standing frowned, deeply, obviously displeased with his Kazekage, but unwilling to say anything about it.
"I didn't miss anything, did I?" Kankurou asked, looking to the old man. Everyone shook their heads, not wanting to start things off. "So then, what's this meeting about?"
"Why were you late, Kankurou-sama?" One of the advisors asked, ignoring the call to order. They wanted to keep their Kazekage in check more than discuss the war. "You know you can't behave in this fashion if you wish to properly run this village. If you are constantly late like this, the people will lose faith in your abilities to lead. How do you expect us to believe that you'll win us this war unless you prove your worth?" Kankurou bowed his head in shame, offering another apology.
"I was discussing some things over with my sister, including some possible double agents in the village." He explained. "As of yet I've not made any conclusions, but I'm still looking over the facts."
"Who is suspect?"
"I cannot say exactly who at the moment, in case this leaks to the rest of the village."
"Surely, you don't think any of us would repeat the words of this meting."
"Of course not, but it is safer if these names are not said allowed until I'm certain enough to make such accusations." The men nodded in agreement, reluctantly accepting his words, and returned to the order of business.
"Of course, sir. We called this meeting to inform you of what we know of Akatsuki's intentions as well as the information regarding Konohagakure's defences as well as their offence." Kankurou nodded and pulled out a small white pad of paper and began taking notes on the information his advisors were giving him. He was hurriedly scribbling when something was said that caught his full attention.
"Something happened with Uzumaki?" He piped up, stilling his pencil for a moment.
"Sources from inside the village say he had a breakdown of some sort and hasn't been the same since. There are reports that his training schedule is unusually light and he's taken less guard shifts. He's no longer the threat he once was. The same can be said about the Hyuuga clan, which was completely wiped out except for a couple of children." Kankurou nodded and continued writing.
"What about Akatsuki?" He asked, looking up while his hand continued to move. "You said you had more information on their intentions?"
"Rumours are floating about that Akatsuki is not too thrilled about our handling of this war. They feel that we should be working harder to win this war. They believe that you are not doing your job properly."
"Such an opinion is not theirs to make." Kankurou put in. There was a pause in his advisors' information, but it didn't last long.
"They have been training none stop, and feel our shinobi should be doing the same. I've made sure the teams have started working hard to prepare for another strike in the near future. I'm only worried about that assassin group." Kankurou nodded, signalling him to explain and continued to jot down the notes. Another man continued where the first had left off.
"We're afraid that they might abandon their alliance with us once they've gotten the demon they're looking for."
"They signed a contract with us, though." Kankurou interjected, but was silenced with a glare.
"They're criminals, Kazekage-sama. Such political claims as contracts don't apply to people like them."
"Well, what would you have me do about it then?"
"We only ask that you watch what decisions you make, to ensure we don't upset them. I don't think we want to lose our allies this close to our victory. If we lose Akatsuki, we could very well lose this war."
Kankurou frowned and wrote his advisor's words down on his little pad of paper.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
"This war isn't turning out the way I thought it would." Itachi exclaimed, placing his hands behind his head, relaxing under the night sky. He tried and failed to stifle a deep yawn and shifted to make himself a little more comfortable on the cold roof.
"How did you think things were going to go?" Gaara replied. He was quite comfortable in his spot on the roof, lying in a protective bed of sand. Itachi smirked at the younger man's actions, turning his head slightly to give him a once over.
"I had no real expectations, but I did think that it would have been less politics and more actual fighting." He replied. "This talking is a load of bullshit."
"Not all wars are about the fighting."
"Maybe they should be. Things would go faster; life would go on faster afterwards."
"The way you put it makes you sound like some kind of saint." Itachi shook his head, closing his eyes to the stars that twinkled above them.
"I've got too much blood on my hands to be a saint." He replied. "Too many people killed. I would rather achieve my goals than be considered some kind of good person. I do what is necessary to get what I want, especially killing."
"Is that why you joined Akatsuki?" Gaara raised his hand to the sky and mimicked crushing the tiny lights in his fist, the sand shifting with his movements.
"No." The question was dropped after that, the finality in Itachi's voice more than enough to signal the end of that topic.
"Why did you come to me?" Gaara asked, hoping to at least get answers to more reasonable questions.
"For this alliance?" He looked over and saw the younger man nodding his head. "I recognised in you some of the things I agreed with." There was a comfortable silence for a long moment as they both processed this information.
"I'm a demon."
"No you aren't, Sabaku no Gaara. You're close to one, but you aren't really."
"If I'm close then what does that make Naruto?" Gaara asked, sighing to himself. "I assume you still haven't told them that their quest for his demon is pointless."
"Let the idiots figure that out on their own."
"Were you there when they were fused together?" The red-haired man sat up and crossed his legs underneath himself, the sand disappearing into the gourd on his back. Itachi shrugged noncommittally.
"I saw what happened, but I wasn't actually present when the Hokage woman performed the seal." He looked to Gaara, slightly curious as to why he was asking about Naruto.
"Did it hurt him?" Itachi nodded again, solemnly and turned his gaze back to the sky.
"He screamed and I thought my dead ancestors were going to rise from their graves all the way in Konohagakure." He chuckled at the mental image that provided. "I thought they were both going to pass out from the pain, but then it was over and he opened his eyes on his own again. The demon was no longer separate from him. He'd become the demon and the demon had become him." Gaara nodded, seeming to get the answers he was looking for. Itachi was about to ask him why he wanted to know, but decided against it, opting to enjoy the last bit of silence they might ever have.
"If he can be saved, why can't I?" The older man turned to him at the sudden question and he offered the young man a sincere smile.
"Who says you can't?"
(End of Chapter)
Something I've been a little depressed about it the whole Naruto Fanfiction Awards… I could have won too… but the voting ends tomorrow, so there's virtually no chance I'll ever win against Skinless in the Action/Adventure Category. Bah…
But I'm still encouraging people to go over to the website and vote… even if it's not for this story, I want to see more votes… If you think a story is really good, don't just tell the author, go over and vote!
To Miranda Ocean: Well… the reason I put myself down so much is… I know I could probably do better, and there are stories out there that are millions of times better than this thing is.
To The Spore Whore: Eheh… not bathing… I'm soooo flattered… I don't think anyone's confessed that much love for me yet… heh… As for Itachi… He's going to have a bigger part from now on…
GAH! GO VOTE!
(The website is in my profile... because ff.n is being a bitch... again...)
Note: This chapter is subject to edits…