Something More

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. They really do make my day. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 2

A few hours later, they arrive at a small village. Suki looks up at the sky and observes a beautiful Full Moon illuminating their way. It was late. They should probably find a place to stay for the night.

"Where the Hell are we?" Suigetsu asks as he sips on his canteen.

"We're in one of the outlying villages of the Rice Country. We're about to cross into neutral territory. None of the Five Great Nations owns it. If we continue going West, we'll eventually reach the Earth Nation." Karin says.

Suki frowns as she bites her lower lip and considers their options. West would lead them to the Earth Nation. East would take them towards the Lightning Nation. That or they could head towards the Water Nation, but they'd a lot closer to the Fire Nation than she wanted to be.

She didn't really have a clear destination in mind. The raven haired woman knew that avoiding the Leaf would be ideal though. That meant that she and her team would have to avoid the Fire Nation at all costs.

"We'll continue West in the morning. For tonight, we should find lodging." Suki reasons.

Her teammates didn't protest this plan. Suki figured that was likely because they were all as tired as she was. They were more interested in sleep than where they were going in the morning.

"You're looking a little tired, Princess." Suigetsu observes as they head towards an Inn in the center of the village.

"Stop calling me that. It's annoying and I'm fine." The Uchiha woman replies.

Suki was lying of course. She was dead on her feet. Of course, she wasn't going to let Suigetsu know that.

He'd never let her live it down. They had been traveling for awhile and she had fought Orochimaru before that. She was at her limit and apparently, Suigetsu could tell.

"You sure? I could carry you, if you like. Bet you're light as a feather. We can't have our Princess exhausting herself." He taunts her.

"That's it. CHIDORI!" Suki growls as she lunges at him.

Her movements must have been slightly slowed from exhaustion. Suigetsu was able to dodge and grab her by the arm. Before she knew it, she was pulled flushed against him.

"What did I tell you about not letting you hit me?" He whispers.

Suki was facing him. They were standing chest to chest. The pair of ninjas was so close that she could feel the warmth of his body and breath against her skin. Simply put, that was too close.

She could even identify his scent. His scent was remarkably similar to spring rain and the salty sea. There was also a third underlying scent that she couldn't exactly name, but she filed it under the category of masculine.

"Good thing that I don't need you to let me hit you. I'll just do it." She retorts cockily.

"Oh really?" He asks and Suki nods her head vigorously as if to confirm her point.

Suigetsu smirks. She was a feisty little ice princess. Thank goodness that she wasn't a total harpy like Karin.

He was going to enjoy traveling with her. Suki was easy to wind up. It was just in a different way than her female teammate. That and she didn't scream like a banshee. That was always a plus.

"Really." Suki says determinedly as her Sharingan activates in a show of defiance.

"Oh boy. I'm going to go check us in." Jugo whispers to Karin.

Karin nods in agreement. Jugo could take care of it. She was going to stick around and watch the fireworks. If she was really lucky, Suki might Chidori Suigetsu while he was in his liquid form. Now THAT would be funny.

"Alright. I'll make sure that they don't kill each other." The red head replies.

Jugo shakes his head in amusement. He didn't believe that for minute. Karin hated Suigetsu. She'd probably let Suki electrocute him or something.

He supposed that it didn't matter though. Suigetsu was tough. He could take a Hell of a beating. Suki would likely be more than willing to smack him around a bit, but that didn't change the fact that Suigetsu was a powerful ninja in his own right.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." The gentle giant assures her.

With that being said, he darts inside the Inn. He really needed to get their rooms and quickly. Two rooms seemed the best way to go. Karin could share with Suki and he could share with Suigetsu.

"Princess, you're dead on your feet and we both know it. Now march that pretty little ass of yours inside the Inn and get some sleep. That or I will carry you." Suigetsu tells her.

Suki didn't know whether to be angry or to bluush. Did he really think that she was pretty or was that just an expression? Nevermind. It was Suigetsu. He was clearly just trying to get under her skin.

That and it didn't matter if he did think she was pretty. Her priority was killing Itachi at the moment. Not getting a boyfriend. (Well she was probably going to need to come up with a more dignified term than boyfriend, but she mentally digresses.)

"I seem to remember you saying that I wasn't the boss of you. Well that goes both ways. I'll march or not march wherever I want!" She snaps at him.

"Oh yeah. You're definitely from a Fire Clan. You have one Hell of a temper." He observes.

"I can show you a temper!" She growls at him.

She knew that Suigetsu was only teasing her. Sadly, the mention of her Clan always brought back painful memories. Suigetsu was metaphorically playing with fire and he didn't know it.

Suigets blinks. Suki was no longer playfully annoyed. She was actually angry. Then it finally clicked what her problem was. He probably shouldn't have mentioned her Clan.

"Alright, Princess. I know that was a bit below the belt. Let's just go get our rooms." He says.

Suki raises an eyebrow. That was apparently the closest to an apology that Suigetsu was capable of giving. She supposed that she would take what she could get.

"Whatever. You're right. We should get some sleep. We'll have a better chance against Itachi and Kisame when we are well-rested." Suki decrees.

"Yes, Princess." Suigetsu says as he rolls his eyes playfully and heads inside with Suki.

Jugo chuckles as he watches them walk inside the hotel room. It looked like Suigetsu had really gotten under Suki's skin. It was a mystery how Suigetsu had escaped without any serious injuries really.

After the twosome walk inside, Karin follows shortly after. The red head looked more than a little disappointed that a real fight hadn't broken out. Jugo just shakes his head at his other female teammate's pouting.

"Well I got us all rooms. Karin is staying with Suki. I'm staying with Suigetsu." He says simply.

"Alright. Sounds good. I don't really want to share a room with the banshee or ice princess anyway." The violet eyed ninja states.

Suki feels herself twitch. She didn't know why his words bothered her. They just didn't. The raven haired woman knew that she shouldn't take them personally, but it was still really annoying.

"Ha! As if either of us wanted to share a room with you! Suki has way better taste than that!" Karin yells at him as she drags the last female Uchiha off.

"Women can be really weird sometimes." Suigetsu observes.

Jugo could only nod in agreement. He didn't think that men would ever truly understand women. Of course, he acknowledged that the reverse was also likely true.

"Yeah. Come on. It's late. Let's get some sleep." He says as the two of them head off to their room for the night.

Meanwhile Itachi was in the Mist Village. He had a Genjutsu to change his appearance enough that no one recognized him. He had been living there on and off for a few months. (Well as much as he could live there and still successfully perform his Akatsuki duties.)

"Dai, how are your treatments coming along?" Mei asks in concern as she approaches him.

Mei was the Kage of the Mist Village. She was also a beautiful woman who was barely over the age of thirty. While the age gap was significant, Itachi didn't particularly mind that fact.

In fact, he tended to be more attracted to women who were older than him. They tended to hold more interesting conversations and were more powerful. More confident in their place as powerful ninjas and less worried about trivial things such as their hair or gossip.

"About as well as can be expected. I really do think that the treatments are helping." Itachi tells her.

He knew that it was wrong, but Itachi had seduced Mei to a certain extent. The young Kage had been more than willing to provide medical care for her love interest. She was a kind woman, after all.

Though Itachi doubted that she would be so kind, when he found out the truth. She was romantically involved with an S Class Criminal Ninja. An S Class Criminal Ninja who had massacred his own family.

"Good. I'm glad." Mei says with a smile as she caresses his cheek.

Itachi had lengthened his hair in this Jutsu. It now reached to the middle of his back. Instead of his trademark black color, it was now a midnight blue. That wasn't the only alteration that he had done to his appearance though.

He had lightened his skin tone until it matched Sasuke's and hidden his facial markings. His eyes, he decided to keep the same. As long as he didn't active his Sharingan in front of anyone, he doubted the smoky gray color mattered much. That combined with his new wardrobe, made him look like a completely different person.

"As am I, my love. As am I." He murmurs as he kisses the palm of her hand.

What disturbed Itachi was that he didn't really have to fake his affection towards her. That was growing more and more genuine by the day. He consoled himself with the fact that Mei knew that his illness could easily become terminal. His death wouldn't come as a complete shock to her.

He did hope that the woman never found out the truth though. Better to have the Kage have several pleasant memories of a love interest than to know that it had all been based on deception. She didn't deserve that kind of pain.

"Come. You should be resting." She says with a smile.

"You're right." He says as he walks off with her towards her bedroom.

One of the perks about catching the eye of the MizuKage was that you got to see her bedroom. Mei had a large queen sized canopy bed with silken pillows, sheets, and blankets. Itachi quite liked that bed really.

"Of course, I'm right. Well I do have some interesting news to report about Suki Uchiha." Mei says as she lays down next to Itachi.

"Really?" Itachi asks, his interests further perked by that statement.

He was rather skilled at forging documents. Mei actually thought that he was a Leaf Villager who was on a mission to bring Suki Uchiha back to the Leaf. A Leaf Village who just happened to have a very serious illness.

"It seems that Orochimaru is dead. The rumor is that she killed him. Rather impressive for a teenager, don't you think?" She muses.

Itachi tries to hide his smirk. That was his foolish little sister. She might be foolish, but she was also extraordinarily talented. It was in her blood, really.

"A rather impressive feat for anyone, no matter what their age may be." Itachi observes.

"That's certainly true. Now that Orochimaru is dead though, I expect that means she will begin searching for Itachi Uchiha in earnest." The auburn haired woman says.

"Most likely. I hope that she finds him and kills him. Someone who would murder their own family, doesn't deserve to live." He states plainly.

Mei tilts her head to the side in confusion. That certainly didn't sound like the kind and forgiving man that she had come to know. Then again, she had never really heard him talk about his family. Ever. Maybe it was a touchy subject for him.

"Well in most circumstances, I'm inclined to agree with you. There are some exceptions though. There is always self-defense." Mei argues.

"I suppose that's true. Very little in this world is entirely black or white." Itachi agrees as he runs his fingers through her hair and smiles.

It was a brief respite. When he was with her, he could temporarily forget the weight of his many sins that smothered him every day. It wouldn't last though. This was just the calm before the storm.

Back at the Inn, Suki sighs in relief once she was inside her room. She didn't even mind the fact that she had to share with Karin. It vaguely reminded her of her time on Team Seven.

There had been times when she had to share a tent or a room with Sakura while they were on a mission. It had been booth annoying and a relief at the same time. That summed up her entire experience with her former teammates really.

"Suki! Suki! Oh no! Suki! Please wake up! Please!" Suki heard someone call out desperately, but she couldn't respond.

Images of her life were flashing before her eyes. Images of Naruto. Probably because he was like her. He knew what it was like to be alone.

She couldn't believe that she was going to die before she could kill Itachi. All because she had saved the loser. She didn't even know why she had done it. She had hated him.

"SUKI!" She was distantly aware of someone snarling in the background and malicious chakra.

That didn't bother her though. Suki felt herself fading. Where she was going, she wasn't entirely sure. Maybe she would see her family again. That would be nice.

She'd apologize to them, of course. Suki would apologize for not being able to avenge them. That and hugging her family were the things that she most wanted to do.

"SUKI!" Sakura shouted again as she hugged her tightly.

The pain woke Suki up. The needles sunk just a little too far into her, for her too ignore it. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, when she became fully conscious again and saw her team standing over her.

They cared about her. They were so annoying and yet, it was good to know that she wasn't alone. It was a relief really.

"Suki, you alright? You look like you are spacing out on me." Karin asks in concern.

"Yeah. I'm fine. It's just been awhile since I've shared a room with another woman. The last time that I did that, I was still a Leaf Villager." Suki admits.

Karin blinks. Whatever she had been expecting Suki to say, it certainly wasn't that. Though she decides to take this as a good sign.

Suki wanted to bond with her! This really powerful ninja with amazing chakra wanted to become friends! Maybe Suki would be the first real friend that she ever had. (Well besides Karin's mother.)

"Oh. Do you miss it? Being a Leaf Villager, I mean?" She asks.

"Not really. Most of the Leaf didn't actually care about me as a person. Like you, they wanted me around more for my abilities than anything else. Your abilities heal people and mine do the opposite. Either way, we are really useful. The only exception was my team really and even that varied." She says with a sigh.

Karin nods sympathetically. She certainly could understand that. She and her mother had been used and abused for their medical gifts. It only made sense that Suki would feel like her village cared only for her abilities and not for her as a person.

"Well at least you had your team. Other than my mother, I never had anyone. I've been surrounded by idiots like Suigetsu for years." She whines.

"Suigetsu isn't an idiot. He's a little wild and rough around the edges, but I wouldn't say he's unintelligent. It's quite possible that he's a Masochist though." Suki observes thoughtfully.

"Maybe. That would explain a lot. So there's no one special in your life? There's no one back in the Leaf Village that you care about?" Karin asks curiously.

"I care about my team to a certain extent. They're wrong, but they think that they're helping me. They aren't though. They're only standing in the way of my goals." She mutters in annoyance.

Karin pauses as she considers that. Well that was good. It meant that Suki was unlikely to change her mind and leave them high and dry.

"That's sad, but I'm glad to met you. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for the chance to start a new life. You're my hero, Suki." She says with a smile.

"You need better heroes." Suki states simply.

At that same moment, Suigetsu was settling into his room with Jugo. He didn't mind Jugo. As long as the gentle giant was in his right mind, he was cool. He did have a problem with Karin though.

"Well it's definitely a few steps up from the tank." Suigetsu says cheerfully.

"I imagine so. Why did you agree to come with us. From what I know of you, you're more of a loner. You don't play well with others. That much is clear from your files." Jugo says.

Suigetsu raises an eyebrow in response at that declaration. Interesting. Orochimaru had either let Jugo see his files or the other man had found a way to sneak a peak.

"How did you get a chance to look over my files? That's kinda like reading my diary, isn't it?" The violet eyed man demands.

"Perhaps a little. I prefer to think of it as being smart though. Everyone with that Curse Mark is my copy. So it's in my best interests to monitor what happens to you and the others like you." He tells him without any embarrassment.

The white haired ninja tilts his head to the side as he considers something for the first time. Was it possible that Jugo felt some sort of almost paternal bond towards his "copies?" Maybe. He supposed anything was possible.

He decides he didn't care though. It was none of his business. Well at least it usually wasn't any of his business. Jugo had looked at his files though. That made it personal.

"Anything else in my background that you found interesting?" He inquires.

"You're a skilled swordsmen, but I've always known that. The fact that you were close to your brother and even Kisame to a degree, that surprises me though. I guess even Prodigies in the Art of Murder start off innocent. I think it's a good thing though. It means that your humanity wasn't stolen from you in that place." The orange haired man answers honestly.

The former Mist Ninja blinks. Well that was unexpected. Jugo was worried about whether or not people had lost their humanity in the Sound.

"You're weird. Why would you care about something like that?" He asks.

"I like people. It's just that I sometimes lose control. I can't help it. That and I'm not blind. I know that you have a soft spot for Suki. I just hope that Karin doesn't find out. She's never going to let any of us get a moment's peace, if she does." He observes.

Suigetsu twitches. Did he have a soft spot for Suki? She was beautiful and strong. The woman was fun to tease, but that didn't really mean anything important. Not really.

There were probably thousands, if not tens of thousands of girls that could fit that description. Well he doubted that any would really be as beautiful as the Uchiha Ice Princess, but that was besides the point. There were lots of beautiful, strong women out there. It wasn't like he was planning on proposing to her or something crazy like that!

"You're imagining things!" The violet eyed ninja informs him.

"Maybe. Forgive me. I believe that I may have overstepped my bounds." Jugo says quickly.

He didn't really believe that he had overstepped his bounds. The animal lover had seen the way that Suigetsu and Suki looked at each other. There was a definite attraction there.

"Yeah! You're damn right, that you did!" He says.

Suigetsu grumbles as he heads into the bathroom. He quickly draws a bath and gets into the soothing, hot water. Ah that was better.

He could feel all his irritation melting away. Water really was life, especially for his Clan. It was important to stay hydrated.

"Even Suki knew that." He muses.

He had only meant to taunt her about the wife comment. In hindsight, it was accurate though. Suki was definitely a planner. She was a really good planner and that was always a good quality for a Clan Matriarch.

"Which is what she is. I mean she's the only woman left in her Clan, but I guess it still counts." He muses to himself.

Hopefully, they would find Itachi and Kisame soon. He couldn't wait to get his hands on the Samehada! Now, that was a damn fine sword!

If he had had that sword, maybe he would have been the one to take out Orochimaru. Suki was strong, but he hadn't been lying when he said that she got lucky. Suki had the opportunity to kill that snake and to her credit, she had taken it.

"Well at least she's got a killer instinct. That's important, especially since she wants to kill her brother." He mutters.

Not that he could blame her. Suigetsu just liked killing because he was good at it. It was fun, but Suki was in a completely different league.

As far as he could tell, she didn't necessarily like killing. She just felt like she HAD to kill this one person in particular to avenge her family. If she had to kill others along the way, she might be willing to do that. Despite that, Suigetsu was almost positive that she would avoid such things, if she could.

"I guess that it doesn't really matter. Once I get that sword, I'm gone. The ice princess can do whatever she likes, after that. It's none of my business." He says to himself.

He wasn't really sure why he felt like he had to say that. Suigetsu frowns as a familiar feeling grew in his stomach. Unease. Unease because he was lying. He had always hated lying.

Suigetsu could do it. Most ninjas could, if they really had to. While he was capable of it, he'd get this funny feeling in his stomach whenever he did it. The fact that he was getting that feeling now wasn't a good sign.

"Damn it." Suigetsu says as he realizes that he was lying to himself, he did care what happened to Suki after he got the Samehada. (He just wasn't sure what he was going to do about that fact yet or why he cared in the first place).