Helloooo! Guess what? I managed to update one more time before half term ended! :o That's how amazing I am. I'll warn you all now - my Flashdance audition start in less than 2 weeks, and I've got a VERY important exam in less than 3 weeks... It'll be a busy month for me, so I won't make any promises. But I will try to write as much as I can! I also know that I tend to update my Harry Potter fiction a lot faster than Naruto, but it's simply because with Naruto I have to re-watch a few things, and sometimes that just doesn't happen! Anyway, I'm grateful to all of you, who patiently wait for me to update! You guys are the best! ^.^

E3-FantasyandReality - Well, now there is another chapter! Goodness, I hope no one really wants a super long apology, because I'd have to be overly creative! kk

lovinurbucks - I know .' I'm really sorry for taking so long! Thank you for your review. x

Twisted-Vampire Knight-Red - aaaaaw shucks, you're making me blush! Thank you so much!

Well, enjoy! ^.^

Chapter Eighteen

Ami found herself wandering around the dark and empty halls of Orochimaru's hideout for a second time that same day. She was beginning to wonder whether or not the snake-like man knew they were there. Either they had become extremely good at masking their chakra, or Orochimaru's hideout was lacking the proper supervision. She flinched slightly when she heard someone bellowing not too far from where she was. She knew it wasn't Naruto or Sakura, so she didn't dwell much, and she was absolutely certain that sound hadn't erupted from her brother. She silently decided it was best to keep searching for Sasuke instead of causing havoc by going after random test subjects – no matter how cruel it sounded to her.
"What are you doing?" Ami jumped at the sound of the deep voice. She turned slowly, only to be met with a pair of onyx eyes – eyes that matched hers. "Get in here before someone sees you."
Ami felt herself being dragged into the room. The only source of light was a small candle in the corner. Why did this entire place love the darkness so much?

"What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here." Sasuke said, coldly.
"Don't you dare start." Ami said, her anger slowly building up. She hadn't seen him in so long, and all he could say was that she shouldn't be there? Who did he think he was? "I'm here to take you home. You've had your fun with Orochimaru, now it's time to quit this stupidity."
"We're not having this conversation." Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes.
"We're going back, right now." Ami said, clenching her fists.
"Have you forgotten about Itachi? Does avenging our clan mean nothing to you anymore? I have a reason for being here, Ami, and here is where I'll stay whether you like it or not." Sasuke said, darkly.
"Why did you leave me?" Ami asked, suddenly. Sasuke's cold demeanour faltered when he took notice of the tears that were threatening to fall on his sister's face.
"I..."
"You could've taken me with you. We could've gotten stronger together. Why did you leave me all alone in Konoha? Do you hate me that much?" Ami said, her voice cracking slightly.
"I don't hate you, Ami." Sasuke sighed. "I could never hate you."
"Then tell me why!" Ami shouted.
"Keep your voice down, would you?" Sasuke growled. "I couldn't take you with me. I knew you'd be safe in Konoha. I knew Kakashi and Naruto would keep a close eye on you. It's not like I didn't watch over you, Ami-"
"Oh, bullshit." Ami muttered, angrily. "You could've stayed and we would've gotten stronger together. You could've taken me with you and no one would've cared. We'd be the parentless Uchiha's, searching for revenge. That's all, there's nothing more to it."
"We are the parentless Uchiha's, searching for revenge, but until it doesn't happen, I'd rather keep you safe." Sasuke sighed. "Ami, I don't expect you to understand my reasons, but I expect you to stop forcing me to come back, because it won't happen."
"Not going to happen, big brother." Ami smirked.

Sasuke's eyes widened suddenly. Someone was coming – but it wasn't Kabuto or Orochimaru. It was someone else, and he was certain it was someone familiar. He placed a finger against his lips, silencing his sister, and pushed her towards the single cupboard in the room.
"Don't move." He whispered.
He'd barely made it to his bed when the door opened. Yes, he knew it was someone familiar. It was that same boy from before. He continued to fake his sleeping state, allowing the boy's jutsu to get nearer to him. He was using ninja art jutsu – it wouldn't be hard to get rid of it if he needed to.
"What do you want?" He muttered, already annoyed with the boy's slow actions. "If you're planning to kill me, you're doing a very poor job."
"I'm not here to kill you. Not anymore, at least." Sai said. Ami's eyes widened and it took a lot of willpower to keep her from pouncing on Sai. "Danzo wants you buried, but I'm here to take you back to Konoha. Naruto and the others are searching for you, and I'm sure they'll stop at nothing to get you back."

Sasuke sat up, with a reasonably loud sigh. Ami couldn't help but wonder whether or not he was going to reveal that she was hidden in his room. She partially hoped he wouldn't, because it would take a lot of explaining.
"This is starting to get annoying." Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes at Sai.
"I don't care." Sai said, as equally emotionless as Sasuke. "They care for you. The least you could do is appreciate it."
"I think you appreciate it enough for the both of us." Sasuke smirked.
"I am not taking your place." Sai stated.
"My place has already been filled by my sister. You don't have to worry about that." Sasuke shrugged.
"Enough. I'm taking you now." Sai said, as his ink snakes began approaching Sasuke.

"WAIT!" Ami shouted, pushing herself out of the cupboard. Sasuke shook his head, disapprovingly.
"What are you doing here?" Sai asked.
"Leave him. I'll take care of this." Ami said. The ink snakes were just a few centimetres away from Sasuke, but Sai didn't make them move. "Leave."
"I don't think it's a good idea to leave you alone with him." Sai said, his eyes narrowing.
"He's my brother." Ami said, rolling her eyes.
"Hn." Sasuke smirked.
"He's a dangerous criminal." Sai said.
"And you're a traitor." Ami frowned. "Leave, Sai, before I force you out."
"No need." Sasuke said, getting up from his bed. "I've already said all I have to say to you, Ami. Either you accept it and move on, or we're going to have to settle this in a more violent way."
"I'm not leaving you here with Orochimaru, Sasuke, and that's my final word." Ami said, as she turned to him. Her dark eyes spiralled into their Sharingan form. Sasuke smirked when he felt his eyes copy his sister's actions.
"You're going to have to knock me out and take me unconscious." Sasuke smirked.
"So be it." Ami smirked back.
Before the siblings could attack each other, Sai's ink snakes wrapped themselves around Sasuke's body. Sai was confident he had a firm grip, and was certain he'd be able to drag Sasuke to Captain Yamato, where he could be dealt with. He was aware that his snakes wouldn't be able to hold out until they reached Konoha – however, before he could begin moving out of Sasuke's room, the Uchiha's eyes widened slightly, and an evil smirk grew on his face.

"Sai move!" Ami shouted.

Ami didn't get a chance to shield herself from anything; before she knew it, she heard an extremely loud explosion-like sound, and all the walls came crumbling down. When the smoke eventually cleared, she could see the light blue sky above. Sasuke released the shield he'd created around them and jumped to higher ground.
"Wait!" Ami said, almost desperately.
"You're lucky I kept you safe. Now I suggest you leave before I lose my patience." Sasuke said, with his usual monotone voice.
"Before you lose your patience?" Ami said, almost in a shrieking tone. "I'm the one losing my patience here, Sasuke. Do you have any idea how ridiculous all this is? I've already told you that I'm not going back to Konoha without you. We didn't come all this way for nothing!"

Sai could sense Ami's chakra increasing by the second. It was almost as though it was feeding off her emotions and awakening something powerful.
Flashback
"The Uchiha's are a threat to this village. If I wish to fulfil my wishes and desires, I need those siblings out of the way. Your mission is to eliminate Sasuke Uchiha. You will infiltrate Team Kakashi, gather as much information as you can on his students, and find Sasuke Uchiha. Get close to them, if you must." Danzo ordered.
"I have a question." Sai said, with his eyes fixed on the ground.
"A question?" Danzo wondered.
"You're asking me to eliminate Sasuke Uchiha, but you desire both Uchiha's dead. Why can I not eliminate both in one single mission?" Sai asked.
"There is no need to go through the trouble of attacking the youngest Uchiha. Hatake Kakashi has kept a close eye on her since Sasuke left the village. Her death will follow her brothers, but it will be by her own hands." Danzo smirked.
"Won't that have an effect on her Sharingan?" Sai asked, his eyes still fixed on the concrete floor.
"Not in her case." Danzo said.
End Flashback

"Ami, we should at least wait for Captain Yamato and the others." Sai said, grabbing hold of the young girl's arm. She looked just about ready to prance on Sasuke.
"You wait. I've got to deal with him now." Ami growled. She shook her arm out of Sai's grip and dashed ahead, before he could react. Sai watched, with his eyes wide, as Ami leaped up the ruins, to where Sasuke stood proudly. Within a matter of seconds, the Uchiha siblings began their battle.
"Sai! You better stay away from Sasuke, or else!" Sakura yelled, angrily, as she came dashing through the ruined tunnel.
"Sakura, wait-" Sakura launched herself onto Sai, making him fall to the ground on his back. She ungracefully straddled him and grabbed hold of his black shirt.
"Where is he? I swear on my life, Sai, if you've hurt Sasuke in any way-"
"He's alive, Sakura." Sai sighed, silently hoping the pink-haired girl wouldn't smash his face in. "Ami's dealing with him as we speak."
"She's what?" Sakura shrieked, shocked.

"Did you find him?" Naruto's voice echoed.
"Naruto, at least wait!" Yamato's voice followed.
Sai sighed again and pushed Sakura off him. Sakura allowed him to stand and looked around, in hopes of finding Ami or Sasuke.
"Where is he?" Naruto growled, as he came into view.
"What did I do to deserve this?" Sai muttered and rolled his eyes.
"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto yelled.
"Ami's with him!" Sakura said, exasperated.
"She's what?" Yamato and Naruto asked simultaneously.
"He refused to leave Orochimaru, and she's not too happy about it." Sai said, as he readjusted his clothes and weapons. "Jump up and you'll find them."
"But-" Naruto was interrupted when another loud explosion-like sound was heard. The ground beneath the four Shinobi shook, and they were all certain the battle between the Uchiha siblings was becoming intense. "We need to do something."

"Give it up, little sister, it's pointless." Sasuke said, as he pinned Ami against a boulder.
"You shouldn't underestimate me." Ami smirked.
"Oh really? Why don't you show me what you're capable of?" Sasuke smirked back. Before he could step back, his entire body froze. Sasuke was stuck, tied to what seemed to be a tree, in a blood-red environment. "Genjutsu? Not bad, Ami."
"It's pointless to fight it." Ami's voice was heard, but Sasuke couldn't see her anywhere. "I control your chakra. I told you not to underestimate me, but you did. Surely you'd know how to battle someone with a Sharingan by now."
"How can you be sure I didn't allow you trap me on purpose?" Sasuke smirked.
"Either way, you're here now." Sasuke watched, with pursed lips, as a dark figure approached him. The only things visible were her red eyes. The commas were spiralling uncontrollably. It was almost as though her eyes were desperate to change into something different – something stronger. "Demonic Illusion – Shackling Stakes."
Sasuke refused to flinch when he felt something stab him in the arm. A sudden feeling spread throughout his body, but he didn't know how to describe it – it was as though he could feel Ami's uncontrollable chakra seeping through, mixing with his own chakra. He wasn't entirely sure why they were suddenly connected, but it somehow gave him the upper hand. He smirked when his saw the blood-red eyes widen. She'd noticed it too.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me that after all this time, you still don't have a handle on your abilities?" Sasuke said, raising a single eyebrow.
"Shut it!" Ami said, as another stake pierced Sasuke's body. However, she flinched instead of him. The darkness that surrounded them suddenly disappeared, and Ami found herself clutching her abdomen. "What did you do?"
"You're still too weak, Ami. I need you to be stronger than this; otherwise you'll just get in my way." Sasuke sighed.
"I'm not weak!" Ami said, desperately, but the sudden pain that shot through her entire body made her flinch again.
"You're in no condition to fight." Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. He pulled her up, not as gently as he should've, and she soon felt her chakra disappearing. He was draining her energy, little by little. "I hope they give up and take you back to Konoha."

Ami wanted to protest, she wanted to fight back, and she wanted to drag Sasuke back to Konoha by his hair, but for the second time during that mission, she felt useless as her energy left her body. It didn't take too long for darkness to surround her once again – only this time it wasn't genjutsu.

x.x

The wind blew softly against Ami's skin and hair. She was happy to be home once again – and out of that confining Hospital. Not that she was allowed out just yet, in fact, if the nurses knew she was outside, they'd go crazy. However, it wasn't the first time she escaped them... They were probably used to it by now. Kakashi wasn't too pleased when Captain Yamato explained their mission to him – apparently they weren't supposed to go after Orochimaru without him. He understood the situation, after many apologies and promises not to ever do it again.
"Aren't you supposed to be resting?" Shikamaru asked, as he sat down next to the younger girl.
"I am resting." Ami said.
"I heard what happened... Are you okay?" He asked.
"He'll come home soon." Ami smiled. "Everything will be okay once we take care of Itachi. He just needs more time to prepare – and so do I. He'll come home after that, I promise."
"Ami... You really should think about all this." Shikamaru sighed. He adjusted his position on the grass, so that he sat more comfortably, with his legs crossed. "I don't think revenge is the way to go... I know it must be hard, but killing him won't bring anyone back."
"Shikamaru, have you ever lost someone you love?" Ami asked, curiously.
"No, but-"
"Then please don't act like you know how this feels." Ami said. Shikamaru decided against starting a discussion, because it would be too troublesome, and nodded.

"I thought you were going to eat with the others!" Asuma called out, as he walked down the hill. "And Ami, the nurses are asking you to get back inside."
"They're going to have to drag me by my hair." Ami said, dropping her body backwards, onto the soft grass.
"They won't, but Kakashi-Sensei just might." Shikamaru smirked. "I'm not hungry, Asuma-Sensei, thanks."
"Alright, suit yourselves. I'm heading over there! Hopefully Chouji's left some meat for me." Asuma chuckled.
"Doubt it." Ami grinned.
"What's next for you then?" Shikamaru asked, lying back onto the grass also.
"Kakashi-Sensei wants me to help with Naruto's training." Ami said.
"How?" Shikamaru asked, curiously.
"No idea... He didn't go into details. I'll just have to wait to find out." Ami shrugged.

"Uchiha Ami!" One of the nurses screeched, from the Hospital entrance, startling a few people nearby.

Ami rolled her eyes and sat up, pulling Shikamaru along with her.
"Come on, I'll walk you back to your white prison cell." Shikamaru teased.

Sora's bit comes up soon... I like that part. It was a filler arc though, right? I'm pretty sure it was... But even if it was, it was a fun one, and I ended up liking Sora after a while!

I'm trying not to think about how many hundred chapters this fic will have once it's finished... There are like 670 mangas right? g.g I'm curious to know how everything will end (and if Kishimoto kills anyone else, that I like, I'm going to have to fly all the way to Japan to deal with him!)

Until next time readers! xoxo