Something More
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: I'm taking some liberties with the descriptions of the Mist Village, it's culture, and Suigetsu's background. Some of it will be canon and some will not. Hopefully though, you'll all enjoy this take on Mei's Village.
Chapter 18
A few days later, Suki was in the Mist Village. It was strange to think that she was now walking on the same streets that Suigetsu had presumably grown up in. Though the Mist Village was aptly named, there was a cloud of mist hanging over the village that seemed to be something of a permanent fixture in the daily lives of those that lived there.
The architecture was different than the Leaf's, but that was to be expected. Suki had traveled across the Five Nations and noticed that each Ninja Village had its own unique style. The Mist Village seemed to favor tall buildings that were either shaped like an oval or circle, whenever it was practical to do so.
"There's something tragically beautiful about it." Suki whispers as she walks with Suigetsu towards the Mizukage's Office.
The landscape was hauntingly beautiful. There were many rocky cliffs in the background and the mist hung over them almost like a protective blanket or a curtain of tears. She couldn't decide which. The fact that there seemed to be gardens on top of most of the villages only added to the surreal scene.
Well Suki assumed they were gardens. She wasn't really sure. There tended to be a lot of green on top of the buildings. Perhaps it was just for camouflage purposes though.
"Yeah. It's been awhile since I was last here. I expect it's the same for Kisame." Suigetsu says as he wraps one arm around her waist.
"You could say that." Kisame says as he looks around and Suki smiles wistfully.
It didn't really matter how far you traveled or how far away from home you had strayed. There was just something very personal about the bond between a ninja and the village of her birth. Sadly, she was feeling less and less nostalgic for the Leaf Village by the minute.
Suki wouldn't go back there without it meaning utter humiliation for the Leaf. She'd make them pay somehow. She couldn't do that the traditional way with the use of force, but there were other ways to hurt a village.
"Suki, I'm glad that you've seen reason. This will be better for you and your baby." Itachi says.
She found it more than a little ironic that Itachi was playing the part of a concerned uncle. Though she knew that she was being too harsh on him. It wasn't as if Itachi had wanted to kill their clan.
He had been presented with an impossible choice. Their family or their village. He'd chosen the village and the rest of the ninja world. Suki wasn't sure what she would have done in his place, but the young woman could understand his decision.
"What's it like? Being pregnant, I mean. Does it hurt? Do you feel any different?" Naruto asks cheerfully.
Naruto just couldn't be silent. He always had to fill the air with useless chatter. It was both a blessing and a curse. Whenever he babbled, she felt less alone. Conversely, it could also be rather annoying at times. Right now, it was a little of both.
"Other than the Morning Sickness and the occasional use of Water Jutsus, I feel fine. It doesn't hurt." Suki says as they continue their trek.
She wasn't going to mention the fact that she suddenly felt far more cuddly than usual. The blonde would never let her live that down and he really didn't need to know that anyway. A woman had to have some secrets, after all.
"I can't believe that neither of you remembered to use The Jutsu." Karin says.
"Did you remember to use it? I saw those lovebites, Karin. Don't try to pretend that I'm the only one with an enthusiastic lover." Suki retorts.
The Uchiha woman refused to be lectured about her pregnancy. It might not have been planned, but she was happy about it and she was going to protect her baby. Well her and Suigetsu's super baby, she mentally corrects herself.
The child could already use chakra from the womb. Subconsciously. It had to be subconsciously. There was no way that was capable of conscious thought this early on. It was only the First Trimester!
"How long are you going to use that disguise?" Jugo asks Itachi softly, choosing to ignore the blushes and indignant replies of Naruto and Karin to Suki's outrageous observation.
"Long enough to get us into the village and to see Mei. Mei will recognize me in this form. I'm known as Dai here." Itachi explains.
Suki was sure that Mei would recognize Itachi alright. Idly, she wonders about the possibility that she might already be an aunt. She quickly dismisses it though. She might get caught up in the throes of passion and forget to use it, but Itachi wouldn't.
The chances of her being an aunt were almost nonexistent. Though Suki couldn't help, but feel sorry for the other woman. She had no idea who her lover was. Finding out the truth was going to be very painful for her and it made the young woman wince just to think about it.
"Dai. Got it." Naruto says and with that, they arrive at the outside entrance the Mizukage Building.
"I need to speak with Lady Mei." Dai says to one of the guards as Suki watches anxiously.
This probably wasn't going to go over well. It was one thing for Mei's lover to ask for a few transfers. It was another for the Mizukage to discover that said lover had been living a double life and was one of the most wanted Criminal Ninjas in the world.
"Hey, it's going to be okay. If worse comes to worst, we'll just get the Hell out of here." Suigetsu whispers to her and Suki smiles.
It was sweet how he was trying to comfort her. Unfortunately, Suki had a feeling that running might turn out to be their best bet. Mei was going to be furious.
A few tense minutes pass by as the guard goes and informs Mei that Dai had returned. When the MizuKage came out she immediately bounds over to Dai and embraces him tightly. Itachi winces in response.
He knew what her was about to do was going to hurt Mei and that was never his intention. Sadly, it was unavoidable. He had taken Suki's first family away from her. He would whatever it took to protect her second.
"Thank you, for agreeing to see me on such short notice." He says with a wistful smile.
She looked beautiful as always. It was such a shame that her beautiful smile was about to become a snarl of rage. This wasn't going to be pleasant and he knew that, but it was time for him to face the consequences of his actions.
"Of course. I see that you finally found her and according to Tsunade, she came willingly. Wait. What is an Akatsuki Member doing with you?!" Mei demands, once she notices that Kisame was amongst htem.
"Why wouldn't I be with him? I am his partner, after all. Though the brats kidnapped me for awhile. It still counts." The other ninja replies as if was the most obvious thing in the world.
Mei's eyes narrow in confusion and suspicion. That was only to be expected though. He had wanted to soften the blow, but Kisame had forced his hand.
"Suki and her friends would very much be interested in settling in your village. She's pregnant and wants her Clan to have a fresh start. She wants to start over somewhere that the horrors of her past won't haunt her as intensely as they would in the Leaf Village." Itachi begins.
He knew that his time as Dai was rapidly approaching its end. That was heartbreaking. The elder Uchiha Sibling had greatly enjoyed being someone else. Someone who was free to love and people didn't scorn, but all good things eventually did come to an end. Well at least that had been his experience.
"Congratulations on your pregnancy, Suki. Though I must admit that I'm surprised you would start a family with Itachi still out there. As for accepting you into my village, I'm not certain I can do that. I do not wish to start a conflict over the Leaf." The beautiful Kage replies.
Itachi smiles bitterly at the irony. Mei was worried that Itachi would attack a pregnant Suki. She had no way of knowing that he was standing right in front of her. That was about to change though.
"It's a very long story. I'm sorry for this. Truly, I am." Suki whispers.
"Oh I'm certain that it is a long story, but what are you apologizing to me for? You've done me no personal wrong. Well other than unintentionally keeping Dai away from me while he tracked you down. That and do you know why Kisame called Dai his partner? Clearly, he has gone mad. That's the only rational explanation that I can think of." The other woman asks.
The elder Uchiha braces himself. He had always known that this was going to happen. Now that the moment had actually arrived though, Itachi was reluctant to go through with it.
"She's apologizing to you because she knows that I'm about to betray all the trust that you've placed in me. I won't ask for your forgiveness because I do not deserve it, but please do take them in. Naruto will speak with Tsunade. There need be no conflict between the Leaf and Mist." Itachi whispers softly.
The seriousness of the moment wasn't lost on anyone. For once, Taka wasn't bickering and even Kisame was behaving himself. Itachi would have laughed, if the situation wasn't so heartbreaking.
"What do you mean by that? How have you betrayed my trust?!" Mei demands.
"My real name isn't Dai. It's Itachi Uchiha and Kisame is correct. I was his partner in the Akatsuki. I'm no longer a member of the Akatsuki at the moment. In light of recent events, I don't know what my actual fate will be. If you wish to kill me, I will not stop you. All that I ask, is that you take Suki and her friends into your village in memory of the love that we once shared." He says as he lifts the Genjutsu.
"YOU'RE LIAR! LAVA RELEASE!" She snarls at him as she aims her deadly attack at the other ninja.
Itachi didn't bother to dodge it. He deserved it. There was a chance that if he died, she might be more reasonable and take them in afterwards.
That had been his plan, anyway. He was planning on going out with some grace and dignity. Itachi needed to give the woman something. Some sign that he was truly sorry for what he had done. For deceiving her. It didn't work out that way though.
"HEY! The man was trying to have a conversation with you!" Kisame says as he uses the Samehada to block the attack.
The sword screams in pain, but it does the trick. Itachi never wanted to hear such agonizing sounds again. The Samehada was primarily an aquatic blade. To be hit with the Lava Release must have been nothing short of excruciating.
"One criminal, protecting another! How sweet!" Mei seethes as she readies for another attack.
She never got to release it though. Suigetsu flickers behind her and aims his fingers at her ear in the shape of a gun. If he had to, he would use Water Bullets. He just hoped it wouldn't come to that.
"I'm all for smacking Itachi around. He caused my Princess over there a lot of pain, but you're also throwing out some rather deadly Jutsus in the same room as a pregnant woman." He hisses in her ear.
"He lied to me! He's been hiding his true identity from me this entire time. Not only that, he has made me an accomplice to his crimes! I've been unknowingly harboring a fugitive. If the Leaf finds out about this, it could start a war!" Mei screams at him.
Suigetsu couldn't blame the woman. If he was in her place, he was be mad as Hell too. Though he wasn't going to let her rage. Not in the same room as his pregnant Suki.
"Yeah. You have every right to be pissed, but he's got some interesting justifications. I think that everyone can get their happy ending in this story. So calm the fuck down and listen or else I will blow your brains out. I don't want to do it, but I will." The sword lover warns her.
The expectant father knew that the Mizukage knew that he wasn't making an idle threat. His Clan was native to this village. She was well aware of what he was capable of and that he could actually shoot her with a Water Bullet right now. One shot and she'd be dead.
"Very well. Lower your gun. You have a lot of explaining to do, Itachi Uchiha." She says, spitting out the name like venom.
The wince on Itachi's face wasn't lost on Suigetsu. Itachi had done a lot of horrible things, even by his standards. Though it was obvious that his feelings for the Kage weren't fake.
Not that it mattered much at this point. The violet eyed ninja doubted that Mei was going to give him the time of day, after this. That's assuming that she even let him live in the first place. Something that he wasn't entirely sure that she would do at the moment.
"Yes, I know. My Clan was isolated by the rest of the Leaf Village for years. That isolation breed fear and resentment on both sides. Eventually, the Uchiha Clan decided to overthrow the Leaf. The plot was discovered though and I was ordered to kill them." Itachi explains in a weary voice.
"It was our family or the rest of the village. If he hadn't done it, the village would have fallen into a Civil War. Assuming that we won, the Leaf would have been crippled." Suki whispers.
"And other villages would have taken advantage of that fact. Another Great Ninja War would have been triggered. I'm presuming that some sort of deal was struck. Suki's life in exchange for Itachi becoming a Criminal Ninja." Mei says thoughtfully.
It all made perfect sense. The easiest way to do it would be to have an Uchiha pull of the Massacre. That way their hands would be clean.
Suki was likely spared because of her age. That and she would tie up the loose end that was Itachi. Once she killed him, the Uchiha woman would be the hero and the truth behind the Massacre would never be known.
"You're right. It was." Itachi replies cautiously.
She didn't know what to feel about this. Itachi had lied to her, yes. Though in all objectivity, she couldn't expect him to tell her that. She wouldn't have believed him.
"Naruto, you may speak with Lady Tsunade about the transfers. As for Itachi, I don't know what I am going to do with him. For now, Itachi you are to continue masquerading as Dai. We'll figure something out after the child is born. Your chamber privileges have been revoked as well." She states.
"Chamber privileges?" Suigetsu asks Itachi with a grin.
"It's not what you think. I was too ill for such strenuous activities." Itachi says with a sigh.
Mei supposed that she should have counted her blessings for that. The Kage had no idea what she would have done, if she had gotten pregnant from any of their encounters. Before she knew the truth, she would have been elated. Now, she wasn't so sure.
"Shame. I mean she's no Suki, but that's one hot Kage." Suigetsu says with a shrug.
"Do you want YOUR chamber privileges revoked?!" Suki snarls at the sword lover.
"Whoa! Whoa! I said that she WASN'T you. That means that I prefer you over her! There's no need to revoke my privileges!" Suigetsu whines.
Mei snorts in amusement. Well if nothing else, Suki certainly knew how to handle the other Mist Ninja. Which was a damn good thing, considering she was apparently pregnant.
"That's better." Suki grumbles and Suigetsu immediately makes his way over to his lover and wraps his arms around her.
Mei didn't catch what the man said, but it must have been good. Soon enough the Uchiha woman's ivory pale skin had turned a rosy shade of pink. He was making her blush over something.
"Right. Lady Mei, may I borrow one of your messenger hawks?" Naruto asks.
"Of course, you may. Come with me. I'll show you where we keep them." Mei says as she strides over to the blonde.
"I don't mean to be rude, My Lady. Though I have to ask, where will we be staying where all this is sorted out?" Jugo asks politely.
Hmm. The big one had manners. Suki's little lover could learn a thing or two from him.
"I'll have some guards show you to some guestrooms. You may use them while we get this all sorted out." She states and with that, Mei walks off.
A few minutes later, the guards came and showed them to their rooms. Suki looks around curiously, before sitting on the bed. It was a nice water bed. Perhaps, she should have expected that though. This was the Mist Village.
The room's walls were baby blue and the carpet was a stormy gray. It reminded her of the ocean and she supposed that's what the designer likely attended. There was also a dresser, a closet, and a connected bathroom. Oh and the fireplace was a nice touch.
"You're not really mad at me for that Mei comment, are you?" Suigetsu asks a bit warily.
Suki knew that she was being a little ridiculous. There was no denying that Mei was a beautiful woman, but Suigetsu had never given her a reason to believe he would stray. Still it had irritated her.
"I wouldn't say mad. I would say annoyed." She grumbles.
"Come on, Princess. Don't be annoyed with me. I did just stop Mei from tearing this place apart." Suigetsu says as he sits behind her and wraps his arms around her waist while placing soft kisses to the back of her neck.
That was cheating and he knew it! Suigetsu knew how sensitive her neck was. She was about to tell reprimand him when the Uchiha woman feels his teeth lightly sinking into the skin and she moans.
"That's f-fighting dirty and you know it." She sighs in pleasure as she arches back against him.
"Yeah. I know, but I love those little sounds you make when I do it. Like you just can't get enough of it. I love you, Suki. You should know that by now. I don't want anyone else. I was just teasing your brother. That's all." He says as he continues kissing her neck and lightly caresses her.
God that felt good. There was something about his touch that was equal parts erotic, relaxing, and exciting. She'd never really be able to articulate the feeling she got when he touched her.
"I forgive you, but don't do it again." She grumbles.
"Alright. I'll be a good boy. Speaking of that, you should probably get some rest for the sake of our bouncing baby boy or girl." He says.
Suki sighs and nods. He was right. She hated to admit it, but Suigetsu was right. She did feel exhausted. Whether it was just an emotional exhaustion or her pregnancy was draining her more than expected, she didn't know.
"Yeah. I guess that it couldn't hurt to get some sleep." Suki agrees as she rolls over onto her side and lays her head down on the pillow.
"That's a good Princess. Don't worry about all this stuff. We'll get it sorted out. Hell, Mei agreed to let us stay here. That was after Itachi told her the truth. Anything is possible." Suigetsu says as he lays next to her and wraps the blankets over them.
The Uchiha woman nods in agreement as she snuggles against him. Snuggling up to Suigetsu was very nice. Not that she was going to tell him that. Suki did have some pride.
"Mhm." She agrees with a yawn.
"Besides, I think you'll like the Mist Village better anyway. It's not nearly as loud as the Leaf or filled with goodie two shoe blondes." He says and Suki snorts in amusement.
Suigetsu and Naruto were just never going to get along. They had started off on the wrong foot and apparently, that's where they were going to stay. That was okay though.
As long as they didn't actually kill each other, Suki could deal with that. Suigetsu, Naruto, and Itachi were the most important men in her life. All for different reasons. She didn't want to lose any of them, even Itachi.
"Mmm well that's always a plus. I don't think that the world could handle more than one Naruto." She admits.
"Damn straight. God that would really be annoying!" Suigetsu confirms and Suki just rolls her eyes playfully in response.
Her feelings about Itachi were endlessly complicated. He had sacrificed so much to protect her and the rest of the world and in return, the man had been branded a villain. He had still killed their Clan though.
Could she ever really get over something like that? The young woman understood his reasons and might have even made the same choice herself, but Suki didn't know. Still she consoles herself with the fact that she didn't need to make that decision today. For the rest of today, she was just going to cuddle up to her lover and get some badly needed sleep.
"Of course. Do you really think that we could be happy here?" Suki whispers.
"Honestly, I don't really care that much where we go. As long as I'm with you and our super baby, I'm good. Though it's nice to come back. I didn't think that it would matter, but it's nice to know that our super baby will get to grow up in a village where at least part of their family has a history." He murmurs as he traces the curve of her hip.
Suigetsu was definitely a very physical being. Suki liked that though. It was a rare moment, when he wasn't trying to touch her in such fashion.
She'd become rather hedonistic about it. Addicted to his touch. She should have been irritated at that thought. That she had become so dependent on someone else, but she couldn't bring herself to be. She was happy for the first time in a long time and that was because of him.
"I'm glad to hear that. I can't imagine ever living in the Leaf again. Not knowing what I know now. If they did it once, they could do it again." Suki mutters.
"Suki, don't think about things like that. It's not good for you or the baby to get upset. You're safe here. Just relax and get some sleep. If you're too wound up, I can think of a few fun ways to take your mind off everything and tire you out." He says with a smirk.
Suki rolls her eyes. She should have expected that response. It was Suigetsu, after all.
"As much as I enjoy your methods of comforting me, we should probably hold off on that for a bit. I wouldn't put it past Mei to have some guards lurking around our doors and I'd rather not give them a show, even if it's just an audio version." She mumbles with a blush.
"Awe. That's cute. I didn't know you were that shy, Princess. You're right though. She might do exactly that. Sweet dreams." He tells her as he kisses her forehead.
"Sweet dreams." She agrees and with that, she closes her eyes as she slowly drifts off to sleep.
All her problems could wait. Right now, she was curled up next to her lover and felt perfectly content. It was hard not to feel completely safe, when she was wrapped up tightly in his arms.
Idly, she notes that was rather ironic. She felt completely safe in someone who was nicknamed a Prodigy in the Art of Murder, but it was the truth. That was the last thought on her mind as she fell asleep with a smile on her face.