Disclaimer: Still don't own anything...
Warnings: This chapter is another long one, sorry about that. It also contains yaoi, incest, references to rape, blood/violence, vulgar language, use of alcohol, references to suicidal thoughts, OOC, and the canon is dead for sure, it's not coming back.
Pairings: ItaSasu, slight ItaKabu, some SasuNaru and SasuSaku, a pinch of KabuSaku, and a dash of AsuKure
Abomination, that's what was deep inside of him. As he looked in the mirror that morning all he could see was the abomination that Sasuke had talked about. Was that all he was to him? Was he nothing more than a hurdle he had to jump to get the power that he always wanted? Slowly he reached to touch the mirror; the one that he called his best friend was now the one who was trying to kill him.
Closing his eyes tightly he walked away from the mirror remembering those hands wrapped around his neck tightly. There was no way that he cared about him. The look of hunger in those eyes haunted him every time he went to sleep. Was power the only thing that Sasuke cared about? Were the people close to him expendable for power? That was low, he didn't even think Itachi Uchiha was that low. At least he warned people.
He moved to his answering machine, how many people left him messages today? He got a laugh out of them, all of them begging him to come out of his apartment, every single one of them sounding like he was going to kill himself. This wasn't what he needed, what he needed was to be left alone.
Nobody understood that, every now and then he would have somebody come over, usually Iruka-sensei, he always insisted on being there for him, he was the one who thought he was going to kill himself the most. He didn't mind Iruka's company, he didn't seem to pity or belittle him, he was there solely to have Naruto to have some positive attention. He knew what happened to Kakashi.
"Let's see who wants me to come out of my apartment today," he let the machine start only letting the first syllable sound. "Sakura," deleted. "Shikamaru," deleted. "Ino," deleted. "Chouji," deleted. "Sakura," deleted. "Sakura," deleted.
He pressed the button again. "Hey Naruto," it was Sasuke's voice, he was about to press the button when he heard the cough. "I know this is probably a bad time to call you, but I really needed to talk to someone. It's been really crazy lately, and I feel as though I'm becoming so reclusive that you have forgotten how my voice sounds," he sighed as Naruto closed his eyes listening to it. "Well, if you ever just want to talk, you can call me. If you don't want to do that, I'll be around the village. See ya."
He closed his eyes, Sasuke left him another message. He thought it was bad enough that he was trying to apologize, but this was getting terribly obsessive. Did he feel that much guilt for what he did to Naruto? There was no way in hell that this was the real Sasuke that he knew. Ever since that night by the river he had become a new person.
A knock came to his door. Who could it be? Was it Iruka-sensei again? Or was it Sakura who made a habit of sitting outside his doorway all night. It couldn't be Sasuke; he would never be caught dead over here. He walked toward the door opening it lightly, but as he opened it, he wished he could close it again.
"Ino?" he asked his voice dull. "Are you the one that they're sending next? Are you all taking turns? What did you come here for?"
She scoffed. "I'm making a delivery," she handed him a bouquet of daffodils. "This is for you, why this person would be sending you flowers is beyond me," he placed them in his hands. "There's a note attached."
Naruto took the note in his hand, his blue eyes widening as he read the text. He tried to understand why he was even sent these as he read the name that signed the note. Flowers almost fell out of his arms as he glanced up at Ino seeing her jealous glare.
Naruto, I'm sorry about what happened a couple days ago. I fucked up, I know that. Could we still be friends? –Sasuke. The note was in his hand writing meaning he actually went into Ino's shop and purchased these. He was on the verge of desperation; all of these kind things that he was doing for him were nothing more than to beg for an apology.
"He wants you to come out of your apartment as well," Ino answered quietly. "I came here to talk with you. I don't think you should be cooped up in this apartment. You need to come out of there and start living a life. One by one, all of us are starting to lose our faith in you."
He shook his head. "Sakura never will lose faith; she's never going to give up on me. She cares too much for me," he looked into Ino's eyes. "Why isn't she here with you? She's usually always outside my door."
Ino looked away. "Naruto," her voice was quieter and heavier than he thought it could ever go, he vibrant blue eyes burning harshly. "Sakura has been missing since yesterday," she took a deep breath as she looked at the blond boy in front of her. "We've searched for her, but there's no trace. Her parents are going crazy; they don't know where to find her."
Naruto looked at the answering machine taking a deep breath. Sakura, what are you doing? He grasped Sasuke's flowers harder, he had to go see him, had to ask about what happened to Sakura.
"No one has. I've been around town asking for him, but everyone has given me the same answer. They saw him last night, but since then he's been gone. Do you think he ran away?"
What if what happened to Sasuke happened to him as well? What if she was abducted by a rogue ninja with an unknown purpose? He wouldn't be able to handle that again, he was going to be able to sit back and watch his friends die on the inside or outside.
He walked to the phone ignoring Ino, placing the flowers on the table; slowly he dialed Sasuke's number. He heard Sasuke greet him quietly, almost breathlessly as he responded to the ringing.
"Sasuke, we have a situation," Naruto answered his voice filled with a seriousness that was not accustomed to. He wasn't going to sit back and let this happen; he wasn't going to run from the screams. I won't let her be in the pain that Sasuke went through.
-----
She opened her eyes to find herself lying on a bed. Where the hell am I? She scanned the room looking for clues. Her heart raced as she thought of the possibilities, what if she had been raped? She looked down to see that her clothes were still on her body. Moving her legs she felt no traces of any unwanted pain. She was safe as far as she was concerned.
"You're awake," a voice called from the corner of the room he eyes darting to see who it was. "Did you get enough sleep?"
"Kabuto?" she asked as she sat up in bed. "Where am I?"
He smiled gently at her, shivers running down her spine as he adjusted his glasses. "This is a local inn, I thought it would be perfect for what I'm going to discuss with you. I'm going to brief you on what my mission is," he took a deep breath. "You know Itachi Uchiha, right."
"A little," she answered lightly.
Kabuto smiled broader. "Well, it seems as though he could easily lure an organization named Akatsuki into this place that we like to call Konoha. He's a dangerous man no doubt, his powers being unmatched by even the strongest ninja in this village. He took out ninja such as Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake and Asuma Sarutobi, a member of the Protectors of Fire. A handful of ANBU have also fallen at his feet," he looked into her eyes as he took a deep breath. "He's also assaulted your friend."
"I wouldn't say assaulted," Sakura answered, her voice rising a little.
He nodded. "Raped and mauled your teammate. This man is a threat to the way that village works," his smile transformed into an evil one. "And he wants to destroy your friend Naruto. He's after what's within his body; he's going to kill him."
Her eyes widened. "Kill Naruto?"
Kabuto snickered as he looked at her. "Think of what that bastard's done to you, to your friends. He has single handedly destroyed all of the possible sanity that you kids strive for. I know for a fact that there is a place outside of this hell that makes all of this go away," his voice transformed into a whisper. "I made ties with another village that had a problem with Itachi's ways. It's called the Village Hidden in Sound," he reached down to grasp a forehead protector a music note on the metallic part. "I can show you their ways if you want me to."
She moved out of the bed as she walked toward him looking straight at the forehead protector. Sound, that word made shivers run down her spine. She had no clue why she was drawn to this power that he was talking about. Through it all she always thought that Itachi wasn't as evil as he was cut out to be. She thought there was some mercy inside his heart. She was wrong. Itachi didn't have a heart.
"It's not that easy. If you read that clipboard over there you would know. The psychological damage that Itachi's genjutsu caused is making me unfit to be a round you. They believe that I may act violently or I might let other emotions get in the way of your training."
Sakura grasped the forehead protector. "What do I have to do for you to be satisfied with me?"
"It's simple," he smiled broadly. "I want you to get closer to those two friends of yours and watch Sasuke closely. My research has shown me that he has been up to shady business. I'm not sure if he's involved with Itachi, but if he is, then it might be too late to save him. Unless," he took a deep breath as he pulled out a kunai, "we end him."
Sakura grasped the forehead protector. "And if worst comes to worst and he tries to get to me?"
Kabuto's dark eyes softened. "I will take you back to Sound and you will be safe from his harm. There is a man that can save you from all of this hurt, there's a man that's in the Village Hidden in Sound, that man is Orochimaru. Under Lord Orochimaru's care there will be no way that Itachi Uchiha can hurt either of us. Nor will he hurt Naruto or Sasuke."
"You mean he can save them?" Sakura asked her eyes lighting up. "He can save them from that dark fate?"
Kabuto nodded. "However, I fear if Sasuke has made ties with Itachi it might be too late for him to come back from the darkness. Right now his heart could be completely in darkness, I pray that Itachi hasn't made the ties to strong with him," he looked over at Sakura who was holding the forehead protector tightly. "He is after all Sasuke's older brother, hate or not, turning on his own blood might cause some problems. He might not have the heart to do that."
Sakura closed her eyes. "This Sound Village you speak of, where have I heard about it before? And where have a heard the name Orochimaru before?"
Kabuto shrugged. "It won't hurt you, Sakura," he ran fingers through her pink hair his eyes locking with hers. "I won't let anything hurt you. I can show you a world beyond all of this pain that we have here when Itachi is laughing at our village. There might not be any hope of stopping him, but with your help, I want to try to get rid of him," he watched her jade eyes close a tear falling down her silken cheek. "Don't fret, Sakura, I'm going to save Sasuke no matter what happens."
She nodded as she tried to fight the tears that wanted to fall down her cheeks. "I understand, Kabuto."
"Keep the forehead protector if you like," he smiled at her as he looked into her eyes. "You're going to need it if the worst comes to worst and that bastard Itachi Uchiha needs to know where your loyalties lie. When you face him, you're with Orochimaru; he's the one who will save Konoha."
She looked down at the new item she obtained. "Lord Orochimaru…" she closed her eyes tightly thinking about Itachi, how could he have done all of this to the village. He never seemed that bad when he was around her.
She closed her eyes as anger filled her body, the raging fire rolling through he chest, he eyes opening to looked up at Kabuto. He was the only one that she could trust out of all the people she had met. Naruto was siding with the jounin, agreeing that Itachi should be free. Sasuke might have made ties with Itachi, ties that might not be able to be broken. All she had was Kabuto; he was the only one who understood the pain that everyone was going through. Together they were going to save the village. Itachi Uchiha was going to pay.
-----
Sasuke got out of bed as he looked over at Itachi in the corner, the dark circles of depression even deeper than they were before. All of the thoughts of Shisui had come back to him; he couldn't shake the feeling as he looked at the dagger. He looked lost.
"Itachi?" Sasuke asked, walking over to him. "Are you going to be alright?"
He was silent, Itachi's silence always made blades crawl underneath Sasuke's skin. Behind those empty sable eyes he was thinking about what was going on throughout the past few days. There was something about that moment in the woods that was bothering him. Sasuke had enough of that.
"What happened when I was unconscious?" he asked as he saw Itachi look up at him, his eyes filling with some life. "When he knocked me out and you fought him, what did he do to you?"
Itachi took a deep breath looking up at his younger brother. "We went into a battle. There's nothing more to it. I won. He lost. I came back here with you as fast as I could."
Sasuke scoffed. "It's more than that. What did he say?"
Itachi's eyes filled with a sorrow that resembled eyes on the verge of tears mixed with the hate that he had been demonstrating since the night that they met again. He let out a low breath as he bit at his lower lip, his teeth skewering at the flesh. He remembered it clearly trying to fight the urge to run all the way to that Goddamn village and making that geezer pay for what he was thinking.
Itachi's eyes closed tightly as he tried to avoid looking at Sasuke. He wants to use Sasuke as a container? He wants to use the only thing that matters to me as a new body? How could he even think about getting close to this boy? When was he going to do this to him? If he even thinks about touching him…
He reached to stroke Sasuke's cheek hearing the young boy's breathing shudder. Sasuke's eyes closed, turning to kiss at Itachi's palm, a giggle going through his body moving closer to Itachi's, his lips touching the older ninja's in a passionate connection. Itachi grasped onto him tighter, the thought of losing Sasuke to that man, the thought of never having this warmth was enough to make him want to jab Shisui's dagger right through his chest a hundred times, without end.
The hate that was in Sasuke's heart was depleting as the moments with him went on, but how long until he was finally able to get out of that man's clutches. He took Sasuke's body tighter into his arms as he returned the kiss viciously. He was never going to give him up; he would die before he saw the day that Sasuke gave his body to that bastard.
"Sasuke?" he asked backing away. "Have you had any run-ins with a man named Orochimaru?" he moved to turn Sasuke's head to the side looking for any seals that he might have left on him. By now he should have had his body memorized, but his negligence could have been the downfall of his dreams. He found none; he was still untouched by that man's horrible promises. He wasn't too late.
"Who the hell is Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked as he looked into his brother's eyes. "Itachi? What are you talking about? Why are you searching my neck?" he let out a low breath as he looked at the other side. "You're the only one who's touched me; I swear to God, you're the only one."
Itachi's eyes filled with anger. If he was that important to Orochimaru, then why is Kabuto trying to kill him? That bastard is trying to foil his plans, Kabuto isn't here on the behalf of making ties between Akatsuki and the Sound Village, he's here just to make my life hell. He looked into Sasuke's eyes. "Don't you ever go anywhere when you hear that name?"
"You aren't the boss of me," Sasuke hissed.
Bam! A searing pain ran though Sasuke's cheek as the back of Itachi's right hand ran across his face, the metal of the ring breaking the skin lightly. It burned, seared, scalded his flesh. The look in his eyes did nothing less than that effect, but it wasn't anger, it was like he was begging him to listen. Itachi was pleading.
"Don't go anywhere with that bastard or I will tear you limb from limb," Itachi growled lowering his hand to see the shock rise in Sasuke's eyes. "They're here for me; you don't have to get involved in this. That man in the robe… he was after you…"
Sasuke rubbed gently as his own cheek his eyes closed as he winced. "Is that the Orochimaru character that you're talking about?"
"No," Itachi took a deep breath. "The organization that I'm part of, the Akatsuki, it's a group of S-ranked criminals that meet up in order to obtain the power to overrule all of the capabilities of all of the lands. They are a group of ruthless ninja, the best in the game; half of those guys in there make what I do look like the basics."
He wrapped his arms around Sasuke in a tight hug. "Akatsuki?"
"They look throughout the lands for the great tailed beasts in order to extract their power so that they wield it all. It's a job that requires everything to be put on the table, even your own life. Most people never make it out alive," Itachi heard Sasuke whimper as he buried himself in his chest. "They want to silence me before I can give off any information or hinder their plan."
The young boy wrapped his arms around his brother. "So that man in the woods the one that touched me, he's in the Akatsuki?"
Itachi scoffed. "No way in hell. That man is a medical ninja named Kabuto Yakushi, a medical ninja from the Sound Village. He came as a representative. He might look weak, he's only listed as a genin, but he's jounin level. He is the man that Orochimaru chose to be the one who sits by his side as a right hand man," he took a deep breath. "He's at the level of your precious Kakashi-sensei. That's no matter to me though; I took Kakashi out no problem. However, his specialty is medical ninjutsu, something that I've been struggling with."
Sasuke glanced at the uneasy look in Itachi's eyes. "Itachi, why is this so important? If you know that you can beat him, why are you so worried?"
He wanted to tell him, he wanted to say that Kabuto was going to bring him back to the Sound Village to make him Orochimaru's new body. He wanted to tell him that one by one the Akatsuki were going to come for him, they were going to destroy the both of them. He wanted to tell him that this whole mission was foolish and he should walk alone, leaving Sasuke behind.
"He's searching for an accomplice," Itachi answered quietly. "He's looking throughout Konoha to pick up anyone who he can, someone who could help him in destroying me," he clutched his ribs in pain coughing lightly. "The more I think about that man out there picking people up, the more that I think about what he's going to do to you. He knows that you're an easier target, he's going to try to attack you if we are ever in the midst of battle again."
"Itachi," Sasuke started as he held onto his brother's shoulders hearing him cough. "Take it easy, I can handle myself if he comes to me. I do have Shisui's dagger, Shisui never lost a fight, not until you came around. That dagger might prove to be good luck to me," he looked into Itachi's dark eyes. "After all you did have a reason for giving it to me."
Itachi smiled gently as he looked down at the dagger. He has a will like yours, stubborn too. No matter what the situation, he wants to go all out, put everything on the table even if he doesn't have the strength to ante up again. He looked up into Sasuke's dark eyes as he took the dagger putting it in its respective holster. He had grown from the kid who was sloppily throwing shuriken; he had grown from that sobbing little boy that night. The growth was so amazing that he wasn't even that one who he had tortured. His will was strong, his spirit unbreakable.
"If he comes back to get you, I'll kill him," Sasuke breathed as he stood up looking down at his older brother, a smile towing gently at the corners of his lips. "I'm not going to let anyone kill you, not if I wasn't strong enough to do it."
Slowly he moved to the side of his bed searching through a drawer. "Sasuke?"
"You and I aren't so different, Itachi, not when it come to the fact that we both have pieces of our weakness and survival. On your left arm is that ANBU tattoo, you bear the awful weight of that ring on your finger, the mangekyou sharingan. In order to get those powers your soul was weakened," he pulled something out of the drawer. "However, my weaknesses are not associated with power, but idiocy."
Itachi's eyes widened as he watched the item being pulled out. It was called a sign of weakness when in fact it was at a time where he was unable to even breathe. Slowly he slipped it onto his right hand, it fit surprisingly. Curling his fist Sasuke looked over at his brother to hear him utter a single phrase.
"Kakashi Hatake's glove…" Itachi gasped as he looked at Sasuke. "Where did you…?"
"When I went into his hospital room when he was comatose, I took something of his to give me strength. Even though I hate him for what he did to you, and I hate him for being so weak, I wanted to keep a piece of him with me," he took a deep breath as he explored the glove. "He taught me what I ninja was when everyone else was being too much of a caring person. He showed me that it's not always beautiful what we do, but we do it anyway."
Itachi's eyes widened in shock. "He taught you all of that?"
"He also taught me about what revenge is, what it does to people," he looked back at his brother. "His words were the inspiration for me giving you a second chance. Killing you, making you pay, all these thoughts did was cloud my mind from what I was trying to do. I lost myself in it; I thought you were the same as you were that night. When you came into my hospital room and you showed that you do care, it made me smile," he looked deeply into Itachi's eyes. "You're the Itachi I loved."
Sasuke started moving toward the door hearing his brother call out. "Come back soon. If you're gone for too long I'm going to get worried, but Kabuto will probably not attack you as long as you don't show any initiative."
Sasuke nodded. "What will you do while I'm gone?"
"I'll be working on that damn jutsu, I'm halfway there," Itachi snickered as he looked at the books. "Time for preparing that jutsu is of the essence. It's the fear of losing you that makes me work harder. If I can heal you, then…"
"Don't push yourself too hard," Sasuke smirked. "It's a bitch to clean up all of your blood. Besides, you know that no technique is worth your life."
Itachi heard the door open and close as Sasuke left him. Did you really do all of that Kakashi? You opened his eyes to what it was like outside of that dark world. You're helping me more than I thought you would.
Itachi had a plan; a plan that he had no clue that Kakashi had just helped him with. The darkness that was in Sasuke's heart was the only reason why Orochimaru could get his hands on him, depleting the darkness would make all of the pain go away faster. Orochimaru wasn't going to win this.
"You should have thought twice before messing with me," Itachi snickered as he opened the book. "I'm not going to let you bastards win anything. The body that you desire more than anything, it's gone now, Orochimaru," he laughed louder. "He belongs to me!"
-----
"Are you sure you want to go alone?" Gai asked, looking over at Kakashi who was getting out of the hospital bed. Today was the day of his discharge, he was home free now. A month in the hospital had passed quickly for him. Breathing was back to normal; heart rate was at a steady pace. He was almost perfect except for one thing that he was branded: the cane.
He was given a cane by the doctors to take some stress off of his legs allowing him to walk easier. It hurt Gai to see Kakashi like this. He was worth more than this, he was better than this pain. He didn't deserve this, he cared too much for his student, saving him he risked everything, his career was gone with a single glance from Itachi's eyes. Still he refused to hurt him.
"Are you going to be alright in there?" Gai asked as they walked out of the room down the long hall. "I hear it's intense. Kurenai said that he's barely even himself. He barely speaks to anyone. He's not like you Kakashi, he's not going to bounce back from this so quickly."
"I know, Gai," Kakashi stated as he looked over at his colleague. "But I want to see him; he needs people more now than he ever did before. I know what it's like to have your career stripped from you. It's painful," he continued to move on as Gai stopped.
"Kakashi," Gai stated. "I'm concerned about you, if he gets to you too much, if he upsets you, you could go into cardiac arrest. We could lose you anytime that you try to do something reckless," he shook his head. "I'm not going to stand here while you throw your life away."
The clicking of the cane continued as he continued to walk down the hall, not listening to Gai's words. His mind was elsewhere, the visions of Sasuke running through his mind. His student that he had the most in common with was the one who had just joined forces with a man who hated him. It was painful, no matter what he did; he couldn't stop it from happening.
"Kakashi," Gai stated as he caught up to him. "I'll be waiting outside the door for you to come out. I'll take you to my place where you're going to stay until the doctors see you fit to be alone."
He continued to walk down the hallway as he looked straight at the doorway that Asuma was behind. He was going through the same torture; he wasn't able to continue his life as a ninja. This marked the end of his career for too long to wait. There was nothing that either of them could do. Asuma was worse off, actually being on the wrong end of Itachi's sword skills. ANBU really trained him well. He was too good for his age; no one was going to be able to beat him.
"You don't want to see him?" Kakashi asked as he looked back at Gai. "I mean the last time that you saw him was before what happened at the Hokage's office. Did you two leave each other on good terms?"
Gai shook his head. "I told him to go fuck himself."
"I guess that means that he never wants to see you again," Kakashi stated as he walked through the doorway looking back at Gai. "Don't wander off too far, you have to come back and get me."
The other jounin nodded. "I understand," he slowly walked away looking back at Kakashi, the cane in his hand. It was painful, clasped in his hand was the reason why he would never go on a mission again. He read the file over and over hoping that there was some way that he was confused with someone else, but it was to no avail. It all matched up, it made perfect sense. The psychological damage was too deep for even Kakashi to face meaning that Itachi had intent to kill him.
Slowly he walked down the hall as he thought about all that happened. Kakashi's team was in an uproar. Sakura was missing, Naruto locked himself in his apartment, and Sasuke hadn't been seen in over a week. Sasuke however was another story, he had a man after him, Itachi was slowly getting closer to him everyday. The criminal's hunger for Sasuke was insatiable; he would go to extremes just to be with him. He vitally wounded Asuma, he made Kakashi suffer mentally. Now no matter how much Gai wanted to go after him and question his motives, if he even touched him he would be tried for treason.
"Didn't think I'd see you over here," a voice called out to Gai. "I thought you were done with Asuma."
He turned around to see who the voice was, it was Kurenai. She had been at the hospital everyday, not to ask the doctors about what happened to Kakashi, but what happened to Asuma. It tore her up on the inside that he was getting destroyed that ruthlessly. His life as a ninja was over. He was never going to be able to fight with the same amount of pride as before. His dignity was taken by the village, and now his skills were taken by the man that he was trying to protect.
"I'm not here for Asuma," Gai scoffed.
Her eyes avoided his glance. "Kakashi's in there isn't he?" she looked back up at him slowly. "How is he doing? I heard that he was pretty bad a couple days ago."
Gai closed his eyes. "Kurenai, his days as a ninja are over. The after effects of the genjutsu were enough to make his body in a fragile state, his mind starting to take over bodily functions in a negative way. He's losing control over the way that he thinks, Itachi's spell is still thick," he looked at her with worried eyes. "You're a genjutsu specialist; can't you give me any tips on how to save him?"
He ruby eyes looked at the ground. "Itachi's genjutsu is nothing like any genjutsu that I have ever seen. Compared to Tsukuyomi, my genjutsu looks like child's play. People can usually dispel genjutsu, but not Tsukuyomi, it's almost irreversible."
"How did he get that strong? I remember he was just a kid who barely knew what genjutsu was," Gai sighed. "It's that sharingan of his. It not only increases his genjutsu abilities and perception, but his accuracy is unmatchable. He's almost perfect when it comes to chakra control, using just the right amounts to save up for his major attacks that cause critical damage to his opponents."
Kurenai looked into the direction of the doorway that Kakashi and Asuma were behind. "That's why Asuma said we shouldn't go against him."
"There's a simple solution to fighting eye techniques, if you don't look into the eyes then the genjutsu can't take hold," he crossed his arms over his chest. "And then using taijustu, he can easily be destroyed."
Kurenai shook her head. "If he has Sasuke on his side…"
Gai sighed as he looked into her eyes. "Even if he did have Sasuke on his side, do you think that would distract my focus on Itachi? Sasuke's genin level, I'm a jounin. However, Itachi is at a jounin level, he is skilled in methods of combat that I don't think we're ready to face. Out of all the people who could have possibly come in here, I wish that it wasn't him. He killed his cousin, you've heard of him right?"
Kurenai nodded. "Shisui the Mirage, who hasn't heard of him? He was a child prodigy who mastered the Body Flicker at a young age. Not to mention he was a master with daggers, he never went into battle without one. He taught Itachi quite a few of his techniques. Thanks to Shisui, Itachi has become powerful."
Gai looked at the doorway. "Kakashi is the only one who can put an end to this madness. He is the only one who can get through to Sasuke in time, and put an end to Itachi Uchiha's ways." He closed his eyes tightly. I just hope he can. I believe in you, Kakashi.
-----
He walked toward the bed, Asuma gazing at the window at the rain. There was a distant look in his eyes as he looked at the rain falling up against the window. The pain that was rolling through his body, made Kakashi's cane seem like nothing.
EKG, tubes, wires, everything that Kakashi never wanted to see one of his colleagues attached to was all there now, haunting him to now end. All he could hear was the sound of metal hitting bone as he tried to think about what Asuma went through. Itachi was ruthless, he was lucky that he wasn't paralyzed.
Then it hit him, Itachi wasn't trying to kill Asuma, he was trying to set an example for the village to follow. It wasn't like in the hospital room. Unlike his anger for Kakashi, he didn't want to kill Asuma, his aim missing the spinal cord along with any major arteries. This as a sign of mercy.
"Asuma?" he asked as he hobbled over to the chair next to him watching as broken eyes glanced over at him. "How have you been for the past few days? Long time no see. Last time I saw you, you were bleeding at the bottom of a staircase."
"Kakashi?" Asuma asked as he looked at the younger ninja. "You're awake? Oh my God, you're still alive," sat up his eyes gaining some emotion. "I thought that you were dead."
The younger jounin took a deep breath. "There are miracles that happen every single day. It was a miracle that I was able to break free from that genjutsu. It's the strongest genjutsu that I know. However, you weren't subjected to that attack, you were hit with a sword," his voice thickened with seriousness. "Did you hurt him?"
Asuma took a breath. "Are you concerned about him?"
"Oh come on, Asuma, you've been known to attack your opponents with no mercy at all. I saw the bandages that were on his body, you really beat him up didn't you?" Kakashi beamed, a smile concealed by his mask. "The kid wouldn't have hurt you unless you hurt him first."
The older ninja looked out the window. "Why do you think that I did it? I did it to make the decree become a reality. I know what's going on between Sasuke and Itachi," he looked into Kakashi's eyes. "Do you?"
Kakashi nodded. "They're in love."
"I know that pains you since you and Itachi have a history," Asuma looked at the gaze that was fixated on the ground bleeding from his colleague's eyes. "I know what you feel toward Itachi. You feel pity for him…"
"I don't pity him," Kakashi answered, looking over at him. "Why would I pity such a person? He's got everything; he's getting closer to his plan. All he can think of is Sasuke… he's taken him from me."
"You let him go?" Asuma asked as he sat up more. "After all that you went through, you just let him leave? Kakashi, do you know how much danger he's getting himself into? Itachi can't protect him for long, no matter how much he loves him. I know that Itachi is changing, morphing into a different person than before. The Itachi that I heard of that night would have killed me instantly. He instead decided that he wanted me to be kept alive but out of commission," he looked into Kakashi's eyes. "What did he do to you?"
There was a slight silence, Kakashi's glance moving to the ground closing in the process. He knew that Asuma was in pain, but the doctors said that he was going to heal in no time at all with little mental damage. Asuma was going to live through this; he was going to be able to be with his team again. He was going to get his life back. Kakashi was different, now as he closed his eyes all he could see were the two of them together, Sasuke's body being subjected to Itachi's perversion.
He belongs to me, he could feel everything like it was real, he could practically hear Itachi's laughter as he drew Sasuke into the shadows. The boy that he once called a student was leaving him slowly. He belonged to the darkness.
Kakashi opened his eye to see that he was still here. Sasuke and Itachi nowhere in sight, but that smug grin would always be across Itachi's face as he snickered, laughing at him for not even being able to save his student from him. Now it was worse, Sasuke would soon laugh with him, as his eyes became even more bloodthirsty, the darkness taking all of the soul that he once had.
"Kakashi?" Asuma asked, breaking him out of his spell. "What the hell did Itachi do to you?"
He closed his eyes again. "I'm not a ninja anymore…"
"One failure doesn't mean that you're not a ninja anymore," Asuma explained looking at Kakashi, there was something deeper than the loss, something had happened to him that made him not able to carry out his missions. "Kakashi?"
"Asuma," Kakashi stated. "You're going to be alright as soon as your wounds heal, they're just physical wounds after all. My wounds however are psychological."
"Psychological?" the older jounin asked. "How deep?"
Kakashi shook his head. "I'm not even going to be able to do any light work. They're afraid that I could go into cardiac arrest at any time," he looked at Asuma, his eyes watering lightly. "Twenty-fifth principle…"
"I could have stopped this," Asuma stated, looking down. "I failed the village and I kept spreading my curses as I went to the Hokage's office. I didn't get what I deserved; I should have been the one who was under genjutsu."
"Asuma," Kakashi started. "We're out of commission together; we are the only two who understand what Itachi is trying to do. We're the only ones who picked up the signs that he's here for Sasuke. If this pain that we're going through was the price that was needed to obtain that information, then so be it."
Asuma's eyes traveled over to Kakashi. "You're pretty accepting, I thought that you would have taken this harder, he did just ruin your career."
Kakashi looked at the ground and then back up at his colleague. "I'm going to get out of this state then I'm going to go after them. I know the man better than anyone in this village does. If I can't get through Itachi then no one in Konoha can."
"The Hokage won't let you," Asuma stated his eyes closing in shame as he fisted the sheets. "You can't hurt him or that's treason."
Kakashi stood up taking the cane with him as he looked down at the wounded jounin, his single eye filled with hope. No matter how loud the laughter was he could still hear the weeping that Itachi was trying to suppress. He could reach him; he could be the one who stopped the madness.
"Who said anything about hurting him?" Kakashi asked as he started to turn away feeling Asuma grasp his wrist. "Asuma?" he looked into brown eyes seeing the concern within them. His eyes resembled that day when he fell down the stairs right before the moment where his life was taken away.
His body was pulled closer, a gasp leaving his lips as he felt Asuma's body heat up against his chest. Was Asuma hugging him? It was confirmed when he felt strong hands press up against his back pulling him closer still. The warmth circulated deeper as he could feel Asuma breathing on him, the breaths ragged like he was on the verge of tears. Guilt was there, it wasn't going to leave Asuma for the rest of his life. Maybe he was left with something more than physical pain as well.
"Don't get yourself hurt," Asuma whispered holding onto Kakashi tighter. "Promise me, Kakashi, that you won't hurt yourself."
Kakashi sighed wrapping his arms around Asuma returning the embrace closing his eyes tightly. He wasn't hugging Asuma in his mind, but that young boy who had always been near him: Itachi. He was hugging Itachi right now, feeling the young boy's weak embrace around him as he left him behind, the tears rolling down his cheeks.
"I promise," he closed his eyes tighter remembering what Itachi was. He wasn't a criminal back in the days when Kakashi was around him, he was caring. He was distant though, not very trustworthy, Kakashi was one of the only people he could trust he stated at one time. Kakashi was like a father to him, combined with a best friend.
He backed away from Asuma. "I'm going to get Sasuke back and I'm going to make Itachi tell the truth of his actions. We could uncover more mysteries about the massacre if he admits to everything."
"That sounds easy enough," Asuma answered as he watched Kakashi walk away hearing the click of the cane up against the floor. "If he goes through with it, after all, he is related to Sasuke, and if stubbornness runs through the family then we'll never get through. Try Kakashi, like you said, you are the only one who can save them from the darkness, Sasuke and Itachi," he took a deep breath. "Even if it's too late for Itachi."
Kakashi shook his head. "This is the darkest period of time that Itachi has been through, if we can get rid of his desperation then we can save him," he opened the door Gai standing right outside. "It's not too late…"
Asuma looked at Gai and nodded. "Just don't hurt Itachi, Kakashi. The kid's going through something right now. He's seventeen; his mind is in a mess. He doesn't know what he wants now that he's been dropped from that organization."
Kakashi nodded. "I know, Asuma," he walked out to meet Gai. Let's just hope that I'm not too late…
-----
Sasuke walked down the street looking straight at the ramen bar, seeing a ghost of the past sitting at the counter. After all of the time that he hadn't seen him, he was finally out of his apartment. He didn't look like the same person though; the orange jacket that he wore over his black shirt wasn't zipped up, the forehead protector that he had taken so much pride in was no longer tied around his forehead.
"Naruto?" he asked walking closer to the ramen bar. "Is that you?"
Naruto looked back. "Sasuke? You came to me," he smiled lightly as he spread his arms, begging for an embrace. "Come here."
Sasuke complied reluctantly. Ever since that night when he almost killed him he was scared of touching him. Naruto shouldn't trust him anymore, yet here he was spreading his arms for him to come closer. He moved forward hugging him gently, resting his chin on Naruto's shoulder.
"This isn't a date," Naruto stated. "So don't try any of that seduction that you've been pulling on me lately. I don't think of you in that way," he tightened his grip around his best friend. "Thanks for the flowers by the way. It was nice to know that you weren't trying to push me out of my apartment."
Sasuke sighed as he sat down next to him. "Those were for an apology, you need one after what happened. I didn't mean to depress you, I was confused. I fucked up…"
"You didn't fuck up," Naruto answered, looking at his best friend. "I know that you feel bad about that night," he took a deep breath. "However we didn't come here to talk about you tonight. There's a much more serious matter…"
"Oh?" Sasuke asked looking into cold blue eyes. Something bad happened, what the hell is it? He closed his eyes tightly as he clenched his fists. "What happened to you, Naruto? Did someone come after you?"
He shook his head. "Worse than anything that could happen to me. We have a missing genin from Konoha. No one has seen them since yesterday when they were abducted from the hospital. That's all that I got from Ino Yamanaka anyway."
"Why are you so formal?" Sasuke asked with a small laugh. "And why does this concern us?"
Bam! The sound of fists hitting the counter filled the atmosphere, Naruto's breathing heavy as he looked over at Sasuke. Those once friendly blue eyes changed, but they were no longer cold. He could see a tinge of red fire deep within them, a fire that he had only heard of before.
"It does concern us!" he let out a strangled cry as he grabbed Sasuke's collar.
Sasuke moved his hands to grab Naruto's wrists his eyes narrowing in confusion. "We're not jounin, Naruto. There's nothing that we can do to save a person. Have you talked to Gai or Kurenai about this?"
Naruto panted as he tightened his grip. "Sasuke, the person that was taken was Sakura…"
Sasuke's eyes widened as he thought about the last time that he had seen her, it had been weeks. Never would he think that she would go missing. All he could think about was what Itachi had told him had happened. There was no way in hell that she would have done that. Sakura would never betray Konoha like that; she would never betray Sasuke and Naruto.
"He's searching for an accomplice. He's looking throughout Konoha to pick up anyone who he can, someone who could help him in destroying me. The more I think about that man out there picking people up, the more that I think about what he's going to do to you. He knows that you're an easier target, he's going to try to attack you if we are ever in the midst of battle again."
He closed his eyes as he thought about that man with Sakura. Itachi spoke of him like he was a monster, and he worked for Orochimaru. There was no way that she could have gone off with a man that dangerous. Sakura was smarter than that. Wasn't she? Sakura was better than that. Wasn't she?
"Where was the last place that you saw her?" Sasuke asked, remembering the scared look in Itachi's eyes, the dagger that was up against his chest as he saw a tear form in his eyes. He never saw him like that when he was up against anyone else. He never heard him say Shisui's name like that. Kabuto Yakushi was the only person who could break through Itachi's weakening barrier.
"I haven't seen her since she left my doorstep," Naruto answered as Sasuke stood up starting to walk away. "No, you aren't going anywhere on your own. You're going to try to be the hero of this story aren't you?"
"This is no time for our rivalry," Sasuke growled, taking hold of his dagger, grasping it tightly. This is the time where you pay for what you did to me, you son of a bitch! We'll see who gets hurt this time!
Naruto's eyes widened in shock, cocking his head to his right as he let out a gasp. "Whoa! Where the hell did you get that dagger?"
Sasuke closed his eyes. "That doesn't matter," he started walking toward the darkness. "I'll tell you later. Now if you want to come with me, hurry up, moron," he picked up the pace starting to run away from the ramen place. Please Sakura; don't be with that man!
Naruto started to run after him, panting lightly. "Sasuke! You shouldn't run with pointed objects! You could hurt someone!"
Sasuke gripped the dagger tightly as he continued to run away from his friend. Thoughts of that man running through his head. This dagger was the one that Itachi wanted to end it all with, the one that he had spent all night glaring at. Kabuto had to have said something about Shisui, something that Itachi could never forgive. This man was ruthless, not holding back even though he knew that Itachi was at an emotional low and in physical distress.
"Sasuke, you bastard!" Naruto continued running as he closed his eyes tightly. Bam! He felt himself slam into Sasuke's back, his weight falling on top of him, the dagger falling to the ground. Opening his eyes he saw what the culprit was. Right on top of Sasuke he saw the body of the one that they had been looking for, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Ouch," she muttered as she looked up to see who she landed on, a blush rolling across her face. "Sasuke?" she backed away slowly as she looked down at him. "I didn't mean to bump into you."
He opened his onyx eyes, his gloved hand moving to grasp his dagger returning it to his holster, struggling to get to his feet looking at Sakura. There's no way in hell that she was touched by him. There was no way that Kabuto would be able to touch her if she still looks at us with respect.
Naruto glanced up at her. "Where have you been? We've been worried about you. We were just running off to go looking for you. Ino told us that you were missing since yesterday in the hospital."
Sakura's eyes looked up and down Sasuke's body, noticing the love bites that were at his neck. He watched as he green irises gazed endlessly at him, his eyes avoiding her glance. She was catching on faster than he would have liked her to. Every time he left Itachi to go out into the real world it was getting obvious.
I really need to tell Itachi to calm down, he's going to blow our cover, he straightened out his clothes as he looked at her. "Sakura, where did you go?" he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Were you hurt?"
She shook her head gently as she looked into his dark eyes. "No, I'm fine Sasuke," she gazed closely at the marks that were on his neck. He's getting closer to him, isn't he? Itachi just won't stop hurting him…
"I'm not sure if he's involved with Itachi, but if he is, then it might be too late to save him. Unless, we end him."
"Where were you?" Naruto asked, irritation obvious in his voice his eyes burning with blue fire. "We were about to inform the jounin that you were gone. We were going to inform the whole village that we had to go looking for you."
Sakura looked over at Sasuke. "Actually I want to talk to you all about something," she smiled gently as she walked toward the ramen bar. "It looks like the two of you already started talking."
Naruto got up and started to follow her. "You have a lot of explaining to do. You made me worried sick!"
As the two of them walked away to the bar, Sasuke looked over at Sakura. There was something different about her, something almost eerie. She wasn't the same as the girl that he left, the way that she looked at him was different. It was far from that annoying girl that he had too much of. She was tracking him, observing him closely.
What's going on Sakura? He asked as he walked after them clutching his dagger tightly. He would have to watch her closely.
-----
"Again," he panted as he pressed his hands up against his thigh closing his eyes tightly trying to focus his chakra into his fingertips. This was the only jutsu that had made him go through this much pain to master it. His heart was racing in his chest as his lungs were starting to freeze up. "Come on," he breathed heavily, his body shaking lightly. "Damn it…"
He didn't feel the horrible pain that he had felt before in his muscles. There was no blood; it was starting to go his way. I got the basics down, he reached back to grab one of his sais, gripping the handle he looked at the shaking muscles of his leg. Slowly he lowered it down to gently touch the flesh blinking once in pain.
"Come on," he winced pulling the weapon back up. "Come on!"
"But can your body take a little blood loss, kid?" He closed his eyes as pain went through his nerves, the sai embedding deeply in his flesh, biting his lip lightly as he tried to hide the torment, the sai almost hitting the bone. He retracted the metal as he opened his eyes watching the blood run from his body, his vision clouding.
"Damn it!" he hissed throwing the weapon across the room, leaving a bloody trail in its wake. He pressed his hands up against his leg. "I can do this," he focused the chakra to his hands, feeling the cells starting to mend. This is starting to work, the last trait of ninja that I needed is finally at my disposal. Ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, kekkei genkai, weapon techniques, and now medical ninjutsu, I'm starting to get better.
The wound was closing as he focused more chakra into his fingertips. A smile graced his lips as it was completed. He had gotten the technique into a stable state. It still wasn't good enough to use on other people nor on vital wounds. The stinging of the blade starting to return to his leg, the technique only allowing the wound to be healed, not the pain to go away, he was failing it.
"You seem to be having some trouble, Itachi," a voice called out. "Medical ninjutsu just isn't working for you is it?"
Turning to the window, he was faced with the same cold eyes that had haunted him since the day in the woods. The blood that ran hurriedly through his veins, starting to boil, biting gently at his lower lip, his fingers grasping the sai. He rose to his feet, his eyes transforming from onyx to scarlet, unleashing the power of the sharingan.
"Kabuto," he stated his voice cold enough to freeze even the most intense flames. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to see how you were doing," Kabuto smirked climbing through the open window. "Really Itachi, did you think that you could avoid me for that long?" he drew closer to the younger ninja. "I never got what I wanted in the woods. I never got to hear you scream…"
Itachi backed away, his eyes not easing up. "You think that I'll let you win that easily? You forget who has the upper hand," he smirked as he tossed the dark hairs of his ponytail back. "The cards are in my favor. I'm stronger than you."
"Physically yes," a laugh escaped Kabuto's lips as he looked straight into crimson irises. "But then there's the mental part of strength. It's true Akatsuki was after you for your immense physical power at such a young age, but your downfall were those damn emotions of yours. I know that on the inside you've wanted to cry for too long," he moved closer pushing his back up against the door.
Itachi looked up into Kabuto's eyes, he didn't seem human anymore. His power was growing more every time that he saw him. The snide grin on his face proving that he had done it, he found an accomplice. The Uchiha's heart stopped dead in his chest, this was a real fight between the two of them. This wasn't a game.
"Kabuto?" Itachi asked his eyes narrowing. "Who? Who did you get to come onto your side? And how? How did you get someone?"
Kabuto moved to Itachi's ear whispering gently. "Jealous aren't you? You're jealous that the power that you always desired is now on my side?" the heat condensed on Itachi's neck a shudder going through his body. "You sought power, you wanted it. It made you have a reason to live. It tastes so good, doesn't it?"
Kabuto's tongue ran across the lobe of Itachi's hear feeling him squirm. "You pervert!"
"Who's the pervert?" Kabuto asked with a laugh as he moved to look Itachi in the eyes again. "I'm not the one who raped my younger brother to get him to come onto my side. I'm not the one who destroyed my family and bathed in their blood. I'm not the one who sold my body to an organization."
Itachi closed his eyes as he snickered. "And selling your body to Orochimaru is any better. Kabuto, when there are people in this world like the Akatsuki and Orochimaru they will use you until your body can no longer be used, and when the day comes and they find you expendable, they will destroy you and everything that you sacrificed to get the power that they can give you was in vain."
"Am I sensing some guilt?" Kabuto asked pushed Itachi deeper into the door. "Itachi, I thought you were above that," he pulled him by his collar closer to him. "Listen to me though, kid, I have an accomplice too, a person who will bend for my every command. I plan on taking them to the Sound Village, the safe haven from you."
The younger ninja coughed once as he looked into black eyes. "No matter how strong they are," another cough his eyes opening to look deeper in those of the enemy, "Orochimaru will kill them without a second thought, he will destroy them. Are you going to continue to kill Konoha ninja until they give me up?"
"No," the medical ninja cooed. "All I want is for you to give me that ring, your brother, and the fox. After I obtain all of those I will gladly leave you alone and you can live for the rest of your life knowing that you were strong, that you had no emotions. That you are Itachi Uchiha, the murderer of the Uchiha Clan."
Itachi spat once, blood rolling down Kabuto's porcelain cheek. "I am not who you think I am! I'm not the same as the stereotype that you are so keen on believing. I'm changed since the last time you met me."
Kabuto let wiped the blood off of his cheek looking into the Uchiha's eyes seeing the fire that was burning deep within. "I will cut down every person in this Goddamn village, even your precious little brother," he snickered. "You thought that because he was a probable container for Orochimaru he was ensured life," he tightened his grip on Itachi's neck hearing him start to gag. "I will have no problem killing him, searching for another vessel might not be so bad. I'll just tell him that you killed him. Yes, Itachi Uchiha wiped out the whole Uchiha clan," his eyes started to burn. "Right before he died!"
Bam! He was released soaring through the air until he landed on the ground face down, blood rolling from his nose and lips. The cacophony of Kabuto's laughter was all that he could hear, everything else being blocked out.
"Don't mess with me, Itachi," Kabuto scoffed walking toward the window. "I will take my accomplice to the sound Village, and then I'll be back for you and your brother. The Uchiha clan will die."
Silence filled the room as the wind blew outside, Itachi's eyes closing tightly. "Sasuke… why…?"
He looked down at the blood on the ground and then out at the darkness of the night sky. "I won't lose to you Kabuto. No matter how strong the person that you picked up is, they're no match for Sasuke," he smirked as he started to rise from the ground. "And then, Kabuto… you'll have to face me!"
-----
Laughter filled the atmosphere as they all sat by each other in the ramen bar. Naruto was starting to seem like his old self again, never letting that illuminating smile leave his lips. It made all of the pain that they had gone through everyday since the incidents by the Nakano River seem worth it. Until it had to end.
"I'm going home," Sasuke stated as he stood up, looking down at his friends. "I'm starting to get tired."
Naruto shook his head. "I told you, Sasuke, you can't go anywhere by yourself. That guy is still out there and he's looking for you, until the day when I see Itachi Uchiha dead I will never be able to let you go."
Sasuke opened his mouth to speak as a tremor ran through his body. It wasn't the average shiver. There was something wrong. He never felt like this, never felt so worried that his body would shake. Not since childhood.
Itachi? He looked into the darkness, his heart racing in his chest. What the hell is my Goddamn brother doing now? He remembered everything that Itachi said. Akatsuki. Kabuto. Now? They're here for him now?
"Sasuke?" Sakura asked turning to him. "What's wrong?"
Sasuke closed his eyes tightly. "I have to go guys; I'll call you first thing in the morning to tell you that I'll be alright," he started to walk away. "You two stay here and have a good time…"
Naruto turned back to his bowl of ramen as Sasuke walked away, Sakura in a daze as she glanced at the wake that her teammate had left behind. Her green eyes never looked at him the same way all night, not since Ino said that she went missing. There was something going on with Sakura, but what was it?
"Sakura?" Naruto asked looking over at her. "Are you going to be alright?"
She nodded shakily as she stood up. "I need to go home to. My parents are probably going to freak out on me if I don't come home soon," she smiled at Naruto. "I'll call you as well, Naruto. I promise."
Naruto nodded. "Okay, be careful. Don't want you to go missing again.
She giggled as she walked after Sasuke. The second that Naruto was out of her sight, she started to run. Faster and faster she moved, hoping to catch up to him. Hopefully what Kabuto said was right, hopefully Sasuke was free. If Itachi had gotten to him, then she might only have time to allow herself to go to the Sound Village, come back for Naruto when she got stronger.
She slowed down as Sasuke was in her sight. That was a close one, Sakura. She crept after him as he walked through the part of the village that was once called the home of the Uchiha. Chills ran down her spine as she looked at all of the empty houses imagining the trauma that must have occurred that night for Sasuke. This was the scene were his brother lost his mind, where he killed everyone.
Sasuke walked to the house that seemed to be the one that belonged to him, the word that seeped off of his lips causing Sakura to gasp in shock. "Itachi?" his voice seemed to be full of concern, his breathing elevated as he knocked on the door. "Itachi?"
The door opened. "What the hell is wrong, Sasuke?" the voice belonged to Itachi; Sakura could make that much out of it. He was the one at the door, there was blood trailing down his nose, a half empty bottle of liquor clasped in his left hand. "Why are you screaming for me?"
Sasuke scoffed. "You've been drinking again!" he shook his head. "I came all the way here thinking you were in trouble but you were just drunk?" he pointed at the bottle of alcohol with his right hand, the black leather glove finally catching Sakura's attention.
Kakashi-sensei, that's his glove, she watched as Itachi leaned up against the door frame looking down at his younger brother with a smile. What the hell is going on? Sasuke was going to come to Itachi's rescue? Am I too late; is Sasuke really on Itachi's side? No, there's still time!
Itachi ran a hand through his hair as he looked down at the younger ninja. "I'm not drunk, Sasuke, I was working. Doing more research," a smirk came to his face as he moved closer to Sasuke. "I've been researching all day."
The young boy shook his head. "I should kill you for what you did, making me worry like that. I thought you were dead, Itachi."
Slender fingers grasped Sasuke's hand, Sakura wanting to stand up and yell at them. Itachi was going to hurt him, he didn't change. Right before she gave into her urges revealing her spot, she saw Sasuke's hand rest up against his brother's chest, hearing her long time crush coo lightly at the contact.
"I'm alive, Sasuke," he answered, placing the bottle of alcohol on the ground, never breaking eye contact with his brother. "I told you that I'm never going to leave you like that. We're in this together…"
Sasuke closed his eyes, swallowing hard moving to Itachi's lips. "Your heartbeat is so erotic," he took his older brother's lips passionately, Itachi's free hand moving to press up against the crest that was on Sasuke's back.
Sakura's heart was breaking as she saw the raw sexual desire, hearing the moans bubbling from Sasuke's throat. It was too late for him to be brought back, his body craved Itachi's presence more than it had craved his death. Now as his body shook almost sexually up against that of his one true hate's, she knew what was going on for the past few weeks. He was the one guilty of the marks that were on Sasuke's neck.
"I love you," Itachi breathed as he broke free from the kiss.
Sasuke swallowed hard. "I love you too."
Sakura froze in place; it was too late for Sasuke. Her heart was breaking in her chest. While she and Naruto could have been helping they stayed away. He green eyes narrowed as she looked back into the darkness. "The Sound Village, huh?" she asked as she walked away. "I'm on my way, Kabuto," she looked back watching the brothers kiss again. "I'll help you destroy both of them."
She started walking toward the direction of the inn; Kabuto would be waiting for her. She reached into her pouch pulling out the Sound forehead protector. She was going to go through with this. "I'm coming, Kabuto."
Author's Note: This was a long chapter, I'm sorry about that. I also know that people are trying to hate both Sakura and Kabuto, but now their together to work against Itachi (why Sakura is doing this will be explained in later chapters.) I also know that you're all wondering when Itachi's going to get better, as of now I can't really tell you if he does get better or if he dies. So what did you think? Good? Bad? Think that Sakura and Kabuto should get their asses kicked? Honesty is my policy.