A/N: Sasuke speaks with his mother and Sakura sneaks down to the dungeons for a terrifying discovery.
The next afternoon, Sasuke sought out his mother. He found her in the tapestry room, humming to herself as she worked on a brand-new tapestry for the wedding.
"Mother!" Sasuke called as he walked into the room, his shoulders scrunched in irritation.
"Ah, Sasuke," Mikoto greeted with a warm smile. She sat back, away from the loom, and turned her body to face him. "What do you need? You don't often come to watch me weave anymore."
"What have you done to Shien?" He asked, gesturing to the door over his shoulder. "She's been strangely quiet all day, and she's been avoiding me as if I've got the plague."
"Ah." The monarch nodded simply, going back to the loom. "Your father and I have decided to honor your happiness and wed the two of you the day before the coronation."
He paused, surprised. "Wait, really?"
"Yes." Mikoto sent her youngest son a pleased look. "We have both independently found her to be worthy of you. My only concern is if you'll be worthy enough for her."
"I would never harm her, nor would I harm any woman I marry," he defended, before he stopped and shook his head. "Wait a second, why would you suddenly decide that my happiness comes before the throne? Haven't you been dismissing my happiness ever since Itachi left?"
Mikoto paused in her task. A sorrowful expression flashed across her face.
"Please don't speak of Itachi," she pleaded quietly.
"He was my brother, Mother," he snapped. "And Father cast him aside without a second thought. Now answer me! Why do you suddenly care?"
"Your feelings are clear as the day is blue, son," she deadpanned, going back to work. "Your father and I have decided, since you feel strongly about her anyway, that it would be easier to wed you two than find a nobler match from the young ladies you haven't already rejected."
"What if Sakura were still alive?" He challenged with a glare. "You were always so adamant that she was to remain just a friend to me and nothing more. What if she were here instead?"
Mikoto paused in her weaving, in thought for a few moments. Then, after several seconds of silence, she frowned at him.
"Sasuke, you know our tradition mustn't be broken," she chided. "However, even if she were alive and here, she would not have been our first choice. She was a mere commoner, not a noblewoman from a clan. Shien is our choice now, and she still would have been then."
"Even if I loved her and no one else?" He asked, his voice raising.
"You know what your father would say, Sasuke," she retorted, her eyes growing cold. "Really, I am disappointed in you. Even if you loved her, you could not have her. Besides, she's been long deceased. Whatever you two shared? It's over. You're betrothed to Miss Hayashi now. The wedding is in a week; I'd suggest you save your energy for it instead of moping about a girl you knew as a child."
He sputtered for a few seconds before angrily growling, turning and storming out of the room.
Mikoto merely heaved a sigh, trying to go back to concentrating on her tapestry. Now that her entire mood was thrown off-kilter, she'd have to work on calming herself and finding a new vibe.
Shien took frequent looks about her, trying to quell the nervous energy she felt.
Itachi's shadowy figure was ahead of her, guiding her through a hidden doorway. She squinted in the darkness, holding his hand tightly as they made their way down to the dungeons.
The changing of the guard was underway, and all they had was ten minutes to be in and out.
As soon as they reached the cool, stale air of the dungeon, she let go of him and walked down the long hallway. The dark, lonely cells and the stink of ammonia and human excrement made her stomach clench.
Itachi paused ahead of her. "He's here."
She looked to her left and saw Deidara laying on a cot, eyes shut. Next to him was a young woman with dirty red hair, and in the cell beside them Hidan was sleeping.
"Deidara," she breathed, taking hold of the bars. "Are you awake? It's me!"
His eyes fluttered open and he looked up, grinning at her. "Hey, if it isn't Sumire, yeah. Did you get caught?"
"I will if we don't hurry this up," she muttered. "Very quickly, I need to know the identity of the man that King Fugaku is following."
Deidara's face darkened immediately, and it soured further when he noticed Itachi's presence behind her.
"Why don't you ask him, yeah?" He snapped, pointing at the ex-prince. "Surely he'd know such an important family member."
"What do you mean? We already know it's Madara," she replied, scrunching up her nose in confusion.
"Oh, you haven't heard?" Deidara's voice was full of false surprise, giving her a biting grin. "I'm not sure I should divulge the info in front of the raven-keeper over there."
"It is a crow," Itachi reminded him patiently enough, although Shien could feel a hint of his frustration with the blond. "Out with it. We don't have much time to spend here."
"Feh." Deidara blew a strand of hair out of his face and rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever. Not like I'll have much use of the information, since my execution is coming up."
He slowly staggered to his feet from the cot in the corner, and as his shirt pulled up over his middle during his stretch, she could see how emaciated and bruised he was. It made her cringe as he stumbled over to the bars, resting his weight against them.
He stared at her. Dried blood was smeared across his lower lip, and when he grinned, she could see the split lip stretch painfully across his teeth.
"Your puppet master isn't who you think he is," he murmured with a wry chortle. "I've seen him face-to-face in the night, when no one else is supposed to be down here besides the prisoners. He's taken me from my cell to a private room, once or twice, before doing his own little interrogation of me. Perhaps he thought I would pass it off as a dream, or perhaps he really is that stupid."
"Who is he? Tell me!" She urged, eyes wide and imploring.
Cerulean eyes bore into viridian, and he breathed a name into her ear.
Her face blanched, her mouth dropping open in horror. " What?... No... no, no, th- that's not true!"
"It's very true," Deidara nodded, pushing himself away from the bars. "You'd better hurry back, before you get caught by the guard."
"Come, Sumire," Itachi whispered, feather-light fingers ghosting across her arm. "We have three minutes."
"I'll... I'll be back for you, Dei," she promised, her eyes stinging and her throat choked. "I promise."
"Don't make promises until you're sure you can keep 'em," he chuckled weakly. "Now go. I wanna see you alive on invasion day, yeah?"
She nodded, not able to say anything else as Itachi whisked her away, his eyes ruby and alert in the darkness.
Just as they made it back into the hallway, and when Itachi's comforting hand on her upper arm disappeared, did she hurry back to her room so that she could weep in private. She would weep for the man she thought she knew, and for the one he was certain to break.
