Something More
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: Suigetsu Flashbacks aren't cannon. Neither is Suki's in this chapter. They are just something that I added to further humanize them.
Chapter 4
Suki wasn't sure why she was still allowing Suigetsu to hold her. The youngest Uchiha decides it must be a combination of exhaustion, the fact that he smelled nice, and it felt good. It felt good to have someone comfort her.
She smiles in amusement as she buries her face in the crook of his neck. A few days ago, she would have thought that entire notion was crazy. Suigetsu was a Prodigy in the Art of Murder. He didn't comfort people and yet, here he was doing exactly that.
"You wanna talk about it?" He asks and Suki shakes her head.
"No. Talking doesn't help. This helps though." The raven haired woman replies.
Suigetsu honestly didn't know what to really make of the situation. Suki was had actually been crying. The woman who had easily stopped Jugo's rages like it was nothing, was crying. That was just unsettling.
Not that he ever really wanted to see women cry. He could kill people without blinking, but seeing a woman cry was something else entirely. Suigetsu wasn't really sure why that was the case. It just was.
"Who would have thought that all the Ice Princess needed was a good cuddle?" He asks with a smirk.
The sword lover knew what he was good at and he knew what he wasn't good at. Suigetsu was excellent at fighting. He was a damn good swordsmen, but the violet eyed man just wasn't good at this comforting thing. Maybe, he could deflect with humor.
An annoyed Suki was better than a sad Suki. He really didn't like seeing those dark eyes of her well up with tears. There was something hypnotic about the way those obsidian orbs contrasted against her ivory skin and were framed by long lashes.
"You're such an idiot." She mutters, but she doesn't make any move to leave his embrace.
He'd never really given much thought to eyelashes before. Suki's were very nice though. Those were definitely come hither eyelashes. It would be nice to see them attached to an expression besides indifference, anger, annoyance, pride, or sadness though. Oh well. Maybe it would happen one day.
"And you're the one still cuddled up to the idiot. So what does that make you?" He retorts.
"That's actually a good point. I guess it makes me an even bigger idiot." She sighs as she burrows against him further.
Suigetsu wasn't protesting. He was still being well Suigetsu. Of course he was going to make stupid comments. At least they allowed her to focus on anything else, but the source of her problems. That was what she really needed.
"Oh that's really nice." He says as he rolls his eyes and lays down, pulling her with him.
Suki wasn't proud of it, but she squeaked. She couldn't believe that she actually squeaked. It wasn't that she was scared. The young woman just hadn't expected it.
"Suigetsu, what the Hell?!" She demands in outrage.
"If we're going to find Itachi and Kisame, we need to be in top form. That means getting some rest. Go to sleep, Princess." He says with a yawn.
Suki blinks when she saw his teeth. Those were sharp were they naturally that way or had he sharpened them? Either way, they were kinda intimidating and cute at the same time.
"What are you staring at?" He asks in confusion.
"Your teeth are really sharp. Are they naturally that way?" She asks.
"Well no. It's a tradition. The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist usually sharpen our teeth. Are your breasts naturally that size?" He asks.
SMACK! She couldn't believe that he had actually asked that! Nevermind. On second thought, this was Suigetsu! Being outrageous was apparently his default state of being.
"Owe! Alright! Alright! I was just kidding! Sheesh! I know they're natural. They jiggle!" He says.
"You're downgraded from an idiot to a pervert." She mutters in disgust.
"No more than any other guy, really. I mean we're going to notice stuff like that. I mean I know that things are different in the Leaf Village than in the Mist, but come on. Some things are universal. Guys are going to look." He says with a shrug.
Suki rolls her eyes. She didn't really know. She'd left the Leaf when she was a Genin. The boys her age hadn't really left the "You're Cute" stage. Some of them hadn't even made it that far. She couldn't for the life of her imagine Naruto checking to see if a girl "jiggled" or not.
"Uh huh. Did you check Karin as well?" She snorts in disdain.
"What? No! Of course not! What's there to check? The woman is flat as a board! Plus she's a freaking banshee! She's so loud!" Suigetsu protests.
"You're not exactly quiet either." Suki observes as she sighs and lays down again.
Suigetsu was right. She did need her sleep. Defeating Itachi wasn't going to be easy. Before they could even find him, it was likely going to take awhile. Taka needed to be ready to fight at a moment's notice. For that, they needed to be well rested.
"I'm quieter than her though!" He protests.
"Mmm sometimes." She concedes as she closes her eyes and soon falls asleep.
Suigetsu smiles. Well he had wound her up pretty damn good really. He knew that the jiggle comment would get her going. Embarrassment or annoyance were better than sadness. That and it was just fun to watch her get all indigent.
"Mission accomplished. I could have lived without the slap though." He mutters as he nurses his rapidly swelling cheek.
The next morning, Karin wakes up early. She was greeted by the strangest sight that she had ever seen. Suki was curled up against Suigetsu in a way that was usually only reserved for lovers.
The youngest Uchiha and sword lover were still both fast asleep. Suki looked completely peaceful and was practically burrowing into the annoying ninja. Suigetsu for his part seemed quite happy to return the favor and had his arms wrapped around her protectively.
"No way." She whispers to herself as she observes the truly bizarre scene.
She wasn't sure if she should be upset or not. Had they done that on purpose? Had Suigetsu decided to steal some sleep cuddles in while Suki didn't notice? What the Hell was going on here?!
"Don't wake them. We could all do with the sleep." She hears someone whisper to her and then squirms when a large hand was placed over her mouth.
It was Jugo. Jugo must have woken up early as well. This was the most bizarre day that she'd had in awhile. Suki was snuggled up next to the idiot and Jugo was telling her not to say anything!
Jugo shakes his head in exasperation. The last thing that they needed was to embarrass Suigetsu and Suki. If he hadn't covered Karin's mouth, she would have made a scene.
She would have made a very big and loud scene. From there, it was a short trip to Chidoris and sword swinging. They were teammates. Taka members shouldn't fight each other.
"It doesn't matter." He tells her.
Karin looks at him incredulously. He couldn't possibly be serious. How could Jugo think Suki and Suigetsu dating, didn't matter?! Was he out of his mind?!
Maybe, he had been locked away in that cell for too long. It might have gotten to him. That could have messed with anyone's head. He was basically in solitary confinement for awhile and that was a form of torture.
"If I move my hand, are you going to make a big deal out of this?" He whispers.
She shakes her head. Karin knew that if she didn't, the gentle giant wasn't going to let her go. Since she wanted to be able to talk, it was best to feign submissiveness.
"Good." The orange haired man replies with a smile as he releases Karin.
"SUKI! SUIGETSU! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!" Karin demands.
Jugo sighs. He probably shouldn't have let her go. Well there was one thing that he knew for certain. It was going to be a very long morning.
Meanwhile Itachi was traveling once again. He had decided to keep his disguise. Tobi knew of his plans. The rest of the Akatsuki didn't particularly matter to him, save for Kisame to a certain extent.
"I suppose that it's unavoidable. If you are partnered with someone long enough, you do grow to care about them." He muses.
He didn't love Kisame. Itachi wasn't even entirely certain if they were friends. He was a good fighter though and entertaining in his own bizarre way. Though half the time, he thought that the blue skinned man should seek counseling.
It really wasn't healthy to think more like a shark than a human half the time. Idly, he wonders if Kisame was born with blue skin and gills or if it was the result of a Jutsu gone wrong. For all he knew, the shark lover might have done it on purpose.
"I'll ensure that Suki gets my eyes. I'll plant an attack in the eye and that will keep Madara away from her." The ill ninja decides.
Tobi went by many names. Tobi was just his cover. Most of the time, he pretended to be Madara. In reality, he was a man named Obito Uchiha. Most people thought that Obito was dead, but he wasn't.
"I wonder what Kakashi would say, if he knew his old teammate was still alive and plotting chaos?" Itachi wonders to himself.
Itachi knew Kakashi. He knew them well. They had both been ANBU at the same time. He and the silver haired ninja had been on missions together. So he knew that the CopyCat Ninja was a more than competent ninja. That was why he couldn't help but be angry with him.
He knew it was irrational. Suki was clearly going to do what she wanted to do. Still he felt annoyed. Kakashi should have watched her more closely. He never should have allowed her to leave the Leaf.
"It's tempting to tell him the truth. That would keep Obito busy for awhile." The Uchiha says to himself as he continues exploring.
Itachi knew that he had only a limited amount of time to find Suki, before he would have to seek Kisame out. Obito would grow suspicious if he was away for too long. The man knew that he was seeking treatment. So that bought him some time.
It wasn't as though Obito had any way of really knowing how long he would need to be in the hospital for a full or semi full recovery. Itachi could use that to his advantage. He was going to that to his advantage by finding his foolish baby sister.
The least he could do was allow her to kill him. It might bring her some closure. The act would also certainly bring her back into the Leaf's good graces.
"After all, who could really blame her? I slaughtered our family for no reason in her eyes and in the eyes of the village. They certainly aren't going to mourn my passing. She's young. Impulsive. They might over look her deserting them to avenge our family." He mutters to himself as he takes out his canteen of water and drinks from it.
Now he just had to find her. Fortunately, he knew that she'd be looking for him. If he left signs, she'd follow. That was one good thing about his foolish little sister. Suki was extremely predictable.
"I suppose this disguise is useless for the moment." He says, undoing the Genjutsu.
It was something of a pity really. He had fond memories of his time as Dai. Sadly, playtime was over. It was time to pay for what he had done.
Itachi felt enormous guilt over what he had done, but that didn't change the fact that he did it. He had still killed many of his own kin. The fact that Obito had helped him to do it, didn't negate that. It just lessened his own body count somewhat.
"Now, where would she go? She's likely going to avoid the Fire Country and I think that it's safe to rule the Island Nations out. That leaves the Wind, Earth, Lightning, and Water. Considering she just killed Orochimaru not that long ago and the Sound is relatively close to the Leaf, it seems unlikely she'd be in the Water Nation. Earth, Wind, or Lightning then. Unless she's in one of the neutral territories." He says thoughtfully.
Back with Taka, Suki is awaken to the sounds of Karin screaming her head off. Maybe, Suigetsu had a point. She was a bit of a banshee. Owe.
"Karin, you had better have a good reason for screaming your head off." She hisses.
Suki had trained her body to wake almost instantly and to be ready at a moment's notice to fight. That didn't meant that she enjoyed being woken up though, especially not when she had been getting a goodnight's sleep for once. It was a rare day, when she didn't have nightmares.
Naturally, that meant that her teammate had to wake her up. It was really annoying. Suki was about two seconds away from strangling her.
"That creep was totally holding you while you slept!" She shrieks.
"What are you talking about?" Suki asks and that's when she notices something wrapped around her waist.
A pair of arms. Rather well sculpted arms at that. Arms that she recognized. Ohhh. Suigetsu really was still holding her.
"Will you stop screaming like it's the end of the world? We fell asleep and ended up laying next to each other. Stop making me try to look like Orochimaru or something." He grumbles.
"That's what happened. He's right. Whatever. Now that Karin hash woken us up, let's get moving. We have a long day of traveling up ahead. It's going to take us awhile to get to that fortress." Suki says as she stretches.
Suigetsu just rolls his eyes at Karin's antics. Honestly, he had slept next to Suki. It wasn't like he had made a real move on her. This was exactly why he didn't want to travel with the red head. She blew everything out of proportion.
"I had my birds scout the nearby areas. It doesn't look like the ANBU have followed us." He says.
"That's good. Let's move out then. We should be there by late afternoon or early evening." Suki says as the team heads off.
With that, the team heads off. Suigetsu shakes his head as he falls towards the back of the group. He knew things were probably going to be awkward with Suki now. If by some miracle they weren't, he still had to deal with Karin's dirty looks. No thanks.
He sighs as this brought back some rather disturbing memories. Mostly memories of the Sound. He was more than eager to put those behind him.
"Now, now. Suigetsu, when are you going to learn to play nicely with others?" Orochimaru cooed at him.
It was creepy. Suigetsu had always been creeped out by Orochimaru. .That was certainly saying something considering he was a Prodigy in the Art of Murder.
"I don't care about playing nicely with others. I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to get stronger to get those swords." He told him.
Orochimaru sighed and actually had the nerve to look disappointed. It was as if the snake freak thought that he was his father or something. Whatever. Orochimaru could have whatever fantasies he liked.
It didn't matter. Suigetsu had his goal in mind. If Orochimaru could help him achieve it, great. He'd put up with his slimeyness. That didn't mean that he worshipped the ground that the man walked on.
"Honestly, you would think that you would be more grateful. Orochimaru has ordered much research to be done on your behalf. We are truly beginning to unlock the secrets of your Clan's bloodline." Kabuto said as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
At that moment, Suigetsu wanted to smash those glasses. On second thought, why not? He lunges at him and proceeds to throw the spectacles against the wall.
"Well I can see that I can't trust you to play nicely with others. Sadly, you are of no use to me currently. Well other than your genetic material. I'm certain that the results of your blood work and the like will prove most illuminating." Orochimaru said.
A clash ensued. Orochimaru came at him. It wasn't just Orochimaru though. Four Eyes helped. Before long, he must have been fighting at least a couple dozen Sound Ninjas.
Suigetsu swung his sword around desperately. He dodged. He punched. It was no use though. There were too many of them. After awhile, everything went black. That's when he woke up in that damn tank!
"Everyone be careful. We're far away from the Leaf now, but that doesn't mean that we're safe. Those people never give up." Suki warns her team.
"Let them send people after us. I'll make mincemeat out of them!" Suigetsu says cheerfully.
Suki shakes her head in amusement. Well it looked like Suigetsu was going to be Suigetsu. The night before hadn't changed their relationship.
Not that they had much of one to begin with. They were loosely teammates. That was it. He was only following her to get that stupid sword anyway. So why would he care that he caught her in a vulnerable moment?
"It's not like we're them." She mutters under her breath.
"Mother, are you still sad about Aunt Mitszu?" Suki asked innocently as she entered the living room and saw her parents on the couch.
Mikoto was sitting in Fugaku's laps. Her husband had draped his arms around her protectively. To Suki, they looked like one person at the time.
"I'm still sad about her. I'll always be sad about her, but it's alright. I have you, Itachi, your father, and the rest of the Clan. She wouldn't want us to be sad and your father made me feel better." She said with a smile as she gestured for her daughter to join them.
Mitszu had been Mikoto's sister. The woman had died in a mission. Suki was only three at the time. She didn't really understand the concept of death fully yet. She did understand that her mother had been crying the day before though.
"How did he help you feel better?" Suki asked.
"He held me. There are few things that can make you feel better faster than being held by someone who loves you." Mikoto said with a smile as she drew Suki into her arms and hugged her.
"Oh. I'm glad you aren't as sad anymore, mother." Suki said as she snuggled into her hold.
Her father was normally such a stern man. It did surprise her when Fugaku smiled at her statement. He briefly kissed the top of their heads and seemed content to just stay there for the moment.
"It's not like you're who?" Jugo asks.
The other mans words startled Suki out of her daydream. Damn. She really couldn't afford to let her guard down like that.
She was damn lucky that it was Jugo who had noticed and not an enemy ninja. What if it had been Itachi? What if it had been a Leaf Ninja? She really need to get her head out of the clouds.
"No one." She says as she flits off a little faster than the others.
"Looks like the Ice Princess wants us to kick up the pace. Think you can keep up, Karin?" Suigetsu asks with a smirk as he takes off after Suki.
"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY?! I'm not nearly as lazy as you, Water Boy!" She growls at Suigetsu and with that, she chases off after them.
Jugo just shakes his head in amusement. One thing was for sure, his teammates certainly weren't boring. For the longest time, he had locked himself up in a cell and interacted with almost no one. Well except for Karin.
Now that was changing. Karin was definitely the most aggressive and loud woman that he'd ever met. She was also smart though. Suigetsu was rather mischievous and could be quite sadistic. Finally, there was Suki. His cage.
"I suppose one way or another, this is going to be interesting." He says, before following them.
Back in the Leaf Village, Tsunade was not a happy camper to say the least. Orochimaru was dead and that was a very good thing, but Suki Uchiha was still out there. She was still a wild card.
Not to mention, the brat was driving her crazy. She understood why he was upset. It was only natural. Suki was his teammate. The Hokage would have been doing the same thing in his position, but that didn't change the reality of the situation.
"Well brat, I'm going to organize a team." She says as she signs some more paperwork.
"A team?" Naruto asks in confusion, not sure where she was going with this.
"Yes, you are going to need a team. The team's mission will be to retrieve Suki Uchiha. Preferably, she will be brought back alive. I will give them permission to use deadly force, if they have to though. I won't allow her to kill them because I told them to hold back. She's dangerous, Naruto. The woman killed Orochimaru." The busty blonde warns him.
Naruto didn't know whether to jump up and down for joy or to frown. He was happy that they were sending a team out after Suki. The blonde wasn't so happy about them having permission to use deadly force though.
"I don't like the last part, but I understand. I don't think it will be necessary though. She's had chances to kill me before. Suki never has though. I think that she wants to come home. Some part of her wants to come home. Her hatred of Itachi is just clouding her judgment." He says.
Tsunade didn't doubt that Suki never would have left the Leaf, if the Massacre hadn't happened. Still that didn't change the truth. She was now a dangerous Criminal Ninja.
A Criminal Ninja who was capable of killing a Sannin. Granted, Orochimaru had been in a weakened state when she did it. It was still impressive and terrifying though.
"I am inclined to agree. It's important that everyone exercise caution though. If it comes down to her or your other comrades, I need to know that you'll make the right choice." The other ninja says.
"It won't come down to that! Granny Tsunade, have some faith in me! We can bring her back. We can do it without anyone getting hurt." Naruto promises her.
Despite the situation, Tsunade finds herself smiling. Naruto's eternal optimism was contagious. She didn't think that it was warranted, but it was still contagious.
"I hope you're right. I shall assemble the team. You will leave tomorrow, if all goes well." The Hokage says.