Something More

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Notation: This is the jealousy chapter. It also references reincarnation. This is not intended to endorse any religious views or the lack of them. It is purely for the sake of the story.

Chapter 3

A few days later and Suigetsu could tell that a certain Uchiha Princess was getting frustrated. Very frustrated. She didn't say so much in words, but there was a certain aggressiveness in her walk and her eyes were constantly on high alert.

Her Sharingan wasn't activated, but he doubted that she would have missed anything. The woman was coiled tighter than a Cobra. He idly found that ironic considering that she had a Summoning Contract with snakes.

"Look Princess, it's a big world out there. It's going to take us awhile to find him. In the meantime, don't stress yourself out. You do want to be at the top of your game, when you fight him." He says.

"Suigetsu, what are you talking about? Suki is fine." Karin demands.

Jugo just shakes his head. He knew what was coming. Apparently, so did Suki judging by the fact that she had just rolled her eyes. Karin and Suigetsu were just like oil and water. They didn't mix well.

"Are you a complete idiot?! Do you not see how twitchy she is? She's totally freaking out on the inside. She just does that silent brooding thing. Actually, maybe you should take a page out of her book. It'd be nice if you would shut up for five minutes!" The violet eyed man snaps.

Suki blinks as it dawned on her that Suigetsu might actually be genuinely worried about her. She pushes that thought to the side for now though. Right now, she had to keep two of her teammates from killing each other. The last Uchiha could figure out the rest later.

"She would tell us, if something was wrong! Oh and since when do you care about anything besides those stupid swords?" The other ninja demands.

"When exactly was she supposed to tell you anything? You never stop shrieking! You're a damn banshee!" The white haired man growls at her.

Jugo just shakes his head and rubs his temples. They were so loud. If they kept this up, he was going to black out and lose control. He couldn't let that happen. Clearly, he was going to have to step in here.

"Suigetsu, Karin, stop it. We should be focused on finding Itachi or at least plan our next move. My birds have told me that there are some ANBU about three miles southeast of here. We don't have time for bickering." Jugo says.

That seems to snap Suigetsu and Karin out of their fight. Suki's eyes narrow. There were days when she wished she had a Byakugan instead of a Sharingan. It would have been useful for detecting trackers.

"How fast are they moving and in what direction?" The raven haired woman asks the gentle giant.

"Steady pace. They are heading our way. I don't think that they realize we are here though. They'll likely be here within the half hour. We need to go." The former prisoner says.

"It's a long journey, but we have enough supplies to get there. The terrain is tough, meaning that they won't follow us. If the ANBU truly haven't realized how close they are, there's no reason why they would head into the middle of nowhere. My family has a fortress. An old one. It was forgotten during one of the Great Ninja Wars. There is a caretaker family there though. They could give us more supplies and a place to rest." Suki says.

The other members of Taka nod in agreement and Suki starts off. She was the only one who knew where they were going. So it made sense for her to lead.

That wasn't what upset Suigetsu. For some reason, the fact that Jugo had been the one to notice the ANBU bugged him. It was annoying really. Jugo in his own strange way was just as obsessed with the last Uchiha as Karin.

"How far away is it?" Karin asks.

"We won't get there today. It's about a day and a half from here, even if we went as fast as were able." Suki says with a sigh.

Karin thought that Suki's chakra was cool and wanted a new home. That he got. It was just Karin being what Suigetsu called a groupie. That wasn't anything that really bothered him. It was annoying, but could easily be overlooked.

Jugo was different though. He had a valid reason to be so fixated on Suki. For some reason, she was able to tame him when he went into a rage. That might develop into a real and genuine affection. He didn't know why, but that really bugged him.

"Well then I guess we better get going. Those ANBU are on our tail. It doesn't matter that they don't know that yet. They will figure it out soon enough." The sword lover reasons.

"You're right." Suki says and with that, she flits off at near maximum speed.

The mostly gentle giant depended on Suki. That could turn into love. Suki might like the fact that he needed her. That and while Suigetsu was far from a small person, Jugo was a giant.

Jugo probably had a good foot on him. He likely had about a foot in a half on Suki. Did Suki have a thing for giants?

"Nevermind. It shouldn't bother me." He mutters under his breath.

He was not jealous of the orange haired ninja. He had no reason to be. Suki had never shown any romantic interest in the man and it wasn't like he was into her that way.

A few hours later, they came upon a farm. Suigetsu took a small pouch of money from Suki and heads towards the main house. They were all hoping to buy a safe place to stay for the night.

"After all, it seems unlikely that ANBU are going to be searching farms." He mutters to himself.

He figures the direct approach was best and knocks on the door. After a minute or so, someone opens it. A pretty brunette with chocolate brown eyes and long brown hair.

"Who are you?" She asks in confusion, but smiles nonetheless.

"I'm Naruto. My friends and I are on a mission for the Leaf Village. We need a place to stay for the night. We're willing to pay to use your barn." He says as he shows her the pouch of gold.

"Well I won't lie. We could definitely use the money and if it's only one night, I don't see the harm. Besides, you are cute." She says as she takes the pouch.

Unbeknownst to them, Suki had followed Suigetsu. She had heard every word the farm girl said. To say the least, the last Uchiha was not pleased by it.

They had a mission to perform. Taka simply didn't have the time to allow Suigetsu to flirt. She had to kill Itachi and he wanted his sword. That and honestly, she was as civilian. Was she out of her mind flirting with a ninja?

"Yes, he is cute. He's also taken." Suki says as she flits over to them.

It wasn't as if there was any rule against ninjas and civilians marrying. Most civilians weren't foolish enough to marry ninjas though. Civilians were generally smart enough to know that most ninjas would never live long enough to see their thirtieth birthday. With that in mind, such unions were tempting fact.

Most ninjas were intelligent to realize that even becoming involved with another ninja was no guarantee that their partner would survive that many years. Still other ninjas understood their lifestyle. They understood the risks they were taking and usually didn't mind that their lover would likely be gone, most often than not.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't now. Well you two look very cute together, Naruto. I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name?" The young woman asks.

"Sakura." Suki lies seamlessly.

She knew what "Naruto" must have done. Suigetsu had figured out that giving their names was a bad idea. He had likely latched onto the first name that popped into his head. Well the first name that wasn't the name of a Sound Ninja anyway.

"Sakura it is then. Well I'll tell my father that you're staying in the barn. I really am sorry. I didn't realize he already had someone." She says as she darts inside the house.

Suki feels herself smirk slightly. Good. She knew not to mess with a ninja's boyfriend. Well Suigetsu wasn't her boyfriend, but it was really the principle of the matter.

With that satisfying thought in mind, she turns to head back to the barn. Unfortunately, that didn't work out the way that she planned. Suigetsu grabs her by the hand and pulls her back towards him.

"Alright, Princess. What the Hell was that all about?" Suigetsu demands.

"She was flirting with you." Suki states plainly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"She called me cute. It's not like the girl was proposing. Why do you care, if she was flirting with me or not?" Suigetsu asks.

Suki really wished that he hadn't asked her that. She knew that she shouldn't care. Not really. The only reason she should be upset was because it might jeopardize the mission.

She might not NEED Suigetsu to take down Itachi, but his abilities were certainly useful. If he ended up falling in love with some civilian and parted ways with their team, that would be bad. Sadly, she knew that wasn't the only reason.

"We're on a mission, Suigetsu. We don't have time for dating. I have to kill Itachi and you still want Kisame's sword. Unless you suddenly changed your mind about that. Do you no longer want the Samehada?" Suki asks a little too sweetly.

The violet eyed ninja actually felt himself wince at that tone. He hadn't known the other ninja very long, but he knew one thing about her. Suki Uchiha didn't do sweet.

That wasn't a polite question. THAT was nothing short of a threat. Both of them knew it too. The only thing that he needed to figure out was how to respond to a very angry Uchiha.

"Of course, I still want it. What I don't get is why you are so mad. Yeah. I get that you're worried that I'll ride off into the sunset instead of helping you kill your brother. That still doesn't explain why you are puffing up and hissing like an angry housecat!" Suigetsu growls at her.

He didn't really know why she was so mad. The only logical conclusion was jealousy. That couldn't be it, could it? Was Suki actually jealous of some nameless farmer's daughter?

"I'm not mad!" She yells at him.

Oh yeah. She was furious. Suki rarely yelled. She was more of a seether than a yeller. Suigetsu wasn't even sure seether was a real word, but Suki was still a seether.

"Oh yeah. You're totally not mad. That's why the girl ran back into her house in terror." He says.

"I'm annoyed. I'm not mad. There is a big difference." She scoffs at him and crosses her arms.

Crossing arms was a bad sign. Suki had moved beyond mad and was now entering into the Fury Stage. He had never really seen the Fury Stage from the Uchiha before, but he assumed it would involved some Chidoris.

"Whatever you say, Princess." Suigetsu says with a smirk as he heads back to the barn.

He wanted to accuse her of jealousy. At the same time though, he wasn't really willing to face a fight to the death for the privilege of doing so. Maybe she was jealous. Maybe, she was just really wound up about Itachi. It was hard to say for sure.

Suigetsu did know one thing though. In this particular instance, he had got the upper hand. That made him feel smug.

Meanwhile Itachi felt better than he had in awhile. The treatments had stabilized him. He knew that it was a stopgap measure though. He was going to need months of intensive care, if he really wanted to fully recover.

"How are you feeling, my love?" Mei asks.

He wasn't sure that he had months though. His foolish little sister was on the move. She had killed Orochimaru, but she still had the Leaf after her. He wasn't going to let her live the life of a wanted fugitive for a second longer than she had to though.

Those words snapped him out of his internal musings. Itachi sends Mei the most charming smile that he could manage and briefly kisses her. It was truly no hardship to be with her. Part of him wished that things were different, but he had to pay for his crimes and he would.

"I am feeling much better and it's all thanks to your tender, love, and care. I will forever be in your debt. I do not know how much longer I would have survived without your help." He admits truthfully.

Forever wasn't going to last very long, but that was besides the point. Perhaps in the next life, he would be able to repay her somehow. Itachi wasn't really sure if he believed in reincarnation, but lately he had been pondering the matter more and more.

If reincarnation existed, he did hope that he would meet her again. He might not remember her, but he liked to think that his soul would. It didn't matter that it would likely only be on a subconscious level. It would be something.

"I'm glad that you are feeling better." Mei says with a smile.

It was such a sincere smile. Itachi was almost certain that the woman meant it when she called him my love. Unfortunately, she was in love with a lie. Not him. Not really.

"I am. With that in mind, I should be going. Suki Uchiha is likely going to be on the move. I have to find her." He says.

Mei frowns. She didn't like the sounds of that. Dai must have been out of his mind. He was still recovering from a serious illness. It would take months of care for him to truly recover.

At the moment, he was stable. She was so relieved about that fact. He was certainly a fighter. Almost anyone else would have been dead already. His disease was so advanced that it was a miracle he had even lived long enough to reach her village in the first place.

"Dai, you can't go. You know as well as I do that your body needs more time to recover. What good is finding her going to do, if you can't bring her back to the village because you're dead?" She whispers.

That was a good point. Itachi knew that was a good point. Sadly, he couldn't tell Mei the truth. He couldn't tell her that that was the goal.

"I have a mission to complete and that's what I'm going to do. I'm certain as a Kage you understand about duty. I need to do this. I'm sorry. I do not believe that you will ever truly understand how much I wish that things were different." Itachi says as he kisses her cheek.

Mei sighs. She had finally found someone and he was likely rushing straight off to his death. This was right.

"I'll go with you. I doubt that Suki can stand against a Kage. She's powerful, but she's no match for me." She reasons.

"I can't allow you to do that. You're people need you. Besides, do not underestimate her. She did defeat Orochimaru." Itachi says as he gets up and begins packing.

"I'll respect your wishes then. Please come back to me." The female Kage pleads with him.

Itachi sighs and kisses her forehead. Maybe, someday he would. He certainly wasn't going to in this life though.

"I'll do my best. For now though, I have to go." He says.

Mei glances at him mournfully. He wasn't going to make it back. She didn't doubt Dai's abilities, but he was clearly a very sick man. He wouldn't win this fight.

"Very well then. I wish you a safe journey. I'm afraid that I have other matters to attend to." Mei informs him.

"Of course. Thank you, for everything. I mean it." Itachi murmurs softly.

A short while later, Taka was in their barn and making due with the traveling rations that they had brought. Not the most delicious food, but it was nutritious. That and it would last a long time.

"So Karin what are you going to do now that you aren't in charge of locking people up anymore? I mean Suki says she's going to take you back to the Leaf with her." Suigetsu says as he stuffs another piece of jerky into his mouth.

"I don't know. I mean I guess I could become a medic or maybe a tracker. I just want an actual home. The prison was better than most other places that I've lived,, but it wasn't a home." She says.

Suki actually winces at that. Karin really did just want a home. Suki wanted that as well, but where was home?

Surely, not the Sound Village. That was definitely not home. The barn wasn't either. The open road held no real appeal to her other than helping her to find Itachi. Was the Leaf really home though?

"I'm sure you would make a good medic." Suki says as she bites into her own meal.

It wasn't really much of a home. Team Seven might care about her. Before she became a criminal ninja, she had been the most popular girl in the Academy. That meant nothing though.

Those boys mostly liked her because she was "pretty" or for her bloodline. They knew nothing about her. Their crushes were superficial and more of an annoyance than anything else.

"Thanks." Karin says with a smile and Suigetsu decides to lighten the mood by asking Jugo the same question.

"I haven't really thought about it much. Suki is the only person who can control my rages. So I'll likely try to join the Leaf, if they allow it. That or I'll travel. Maybe I'll find another prison that can hold me." He says.

Suki frowns. She didn't like hearing that. Roughly 90% of the time, Jugo was kind and polite. He was not threat to anyone. It was the other ten percent that made him very dangerous.

At least 2/3rds of Taka could theoretically join the Leaf easily. If Jugo could get control of himself, she didn't see a reason why he couldn't join the Leaf. Karin also would likely fit in just fine. Suigetsu was more of a wild card though.

"I'd like that, Jugo. What about you, Suigetsu? Have you thought about what you want to do after you get the swords?" She asks curiously.

Suigetsu pauses as he considers that question. Honestly, he hadn't really. He just knew that he really wanted those swords.

"I'm not sure. I guess I'll just do whatever seems like a good idea at the time." He admits.

Suki snorts in amusement. Suigetsu had a goal, but only one. After that, he was apparently content to just go with the flow. She supposed in a way that made sense. His family was closely associated with water after all.

"Good to know. Well it's late. We should all get some sleep. We've got a long trek to the fortress tomorrow. So it would be wise to get an early start." She says as she lays down on some hay.

It wasn't very comfortable, but she had certainly slept on worse. She was now one step closer towards her goal. Once they got those supplies, that would certainly make things much easier.

The other members of Taka do the same. Surprisingly, it didn't take long for most of them to fall asleep. The only exception was Suki. That was mostly because she was watching Suigetsu.

"He looks surprisingly harmless when he's asleep." She notes in amusement.

She knew in reality that he was anything but. Orochimaru wouldn't have put him in that tank, if he was like Karin. If Suigetsu was content to follow orders like a good minion, there would have been any need to lock him up.

She smiles and brushes some bangs from his face. His hair was exactly like snow. Suki was a little surprised at how silky it was though. He didn't strike her as the type of guy that spent much time on his hair.

"Maybe it's just naturally that way." She muses.

He wasn't as big as Jugo when it came to height or muscle size. Still Suigetsu was definitely bigger than Naruto. He was probably bigger than all of the members of the Rookie Nine, save for Choji. She didn't really count that though. His Clan was just naturally larger framed.

She had been jealous and that disturbed her. It was one thing to think he was cute. It was another to actually develop feelings for him.

Suki couldn't afford that. Feelings were a distraction. Distractions were far too dangerous when you were going up against someone like Itachi Uchiha. He was a Clan Slayer.

"If he found out that I was even attracted to someone, he'd kill them. He kills everyone that I love. Well except Team Seven, but that was likely only because he wanted me to get stronger to fight him." She whispers in a choked voice as she remembered that horrible night, once more.

"Why?! Why?! Why, did you do this?!" She screamed at him.

"To test my strength." Itachi told her in a monotone voice that betrayed no emotion.

"To test your strength?! That was the reason?! That was the reason why you killed them all?! Have you completely lost your mind?! That's why you murdered our family?!" She screamed at him as she lunged at her elder brother.

She didn't get far though. Itachi put her in some strange place. A black and red world. One that he controlled. One that made her believe that Hell actually existed.

"You're pathetic. Not even worth fighting. You might be one day though. After your hatred has made you stronger, you might not be so weak. You might even be worth my time." He said, after he left her.

He left her all alone. When she woke the next morning and overheard the nurses talking, she knew the truth. Her family was dead and they weren't coming back. She was alone. Suki was always alone in one fashion or another.

She hadn't even noticed when silent tears started sliding down her cheeks. It didn't take long for the silent tears to become quiet sobs. Apparently, they were loud enough to wake Suigetsu.

Suigetsu woke up and saw a crying Suki only inches away from him. The criminal frowns. Yeah. That wasn't normal. He was used to seeing Suki completely in control or at least annoyed. Sadness wasn't something she showed much.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He whispers.

Suki didn't answer him though. It didn't take a genius to realize why. She was likely lost in her own world. More specifically, she was probably having a flashback. Whether it was of the Massacre or of some freaky stuff that undoubtedly went on while she was in the Sound, didn't really matter. It was bad.

"Hey, it's alright." He tells her and wraps his arms around the crying woman.

Suigetsu knew it was bad, but the fact that she actually leaned into his embrace was scary. Suki never did stuff like that. She was hurting in a very big way.

Suki sighs and leans into him. She had lost herself to the memory. That's' when she smelled the ocean and blinks. Why did she smell the ocean? The ocean wasn't anywhere near her District or the Leaf. That snapped her out of it.

"What happened?" She asks in confusion, noting that she was currently wrapped in Suigetsu's arms.

"You had a nightmare or a flashback, I guess. Must have been a nasty one. It's okay. I'm not going to tell anyone." He promises.

Against her better judgment, she believed him. Suki smmiles and leans into his embrace more. It was nice. He was warm and the biceps were nice to look at. She honestly didn't know what Karin was going on about with his chakra odor. He smelled nice to her.

"Good. If you did, I would kill you." She tells him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Princess." He says with a smirk.