Swept Away From the Ashes
Chapter Eight: On the run, we can't leave them behind
Warning: Annoying Sakura, my horrible fight scenes, and some minor SasoDei.
A/N: I will try to keep the chapter content up, but ten pages is a lot. (Just so you know.) Oh, and I have a sudden love for the Akatsuki, they are my best buddies! So yeah, if it seems that the good guys are bad and the bad guys are good… that's because… they are.
Oh, and at the time that I began this chapter I had received only two reviews! (I now have seven) Where is the love, people?
A/N2: Sorry for the wait, I had the worst writers' block ever!
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"Run!" Itachi screamed. Immediately Sasuke had Naruto on his back and was off, Kakashi threw Iruka over his shoulder and nodded to Ino as they set off. Ino knocking Sakura out and taking her up over her shoulder ran past Itachi and heard him whisper, "home."
Soldiers could be heard tramping in the direction of the blast and would soon come upon the group in the dark. Deidara grinned, "See Danna that was art! It was one big, momentary beauty, and then gone. See, see art doesn't last forever, un!" Deidara danced and cheered, eyes sparkling with the flames left over from the massive blast. Sasori sighed trying to control the small vestiges of anger licking at his thoughts. Suddenly he saw something he didn't want to see, a soldier aiming straight for Deidara with a bow and arrow. Sasori dragged Deidara out of the way of the projectile.
"Shut the hell up and fight!" Deidara sighed and nodded his understanding. Spinning and kicking a man in the face he grinned in satisfaction at the astonishment on Sasori as the man fell to the ground screaming out in pain, digging at his face on one side where clay seemed to be. Deidara picked him up and threw him into a group of other soldiers. He leaned over kissing Sasori on the cheek and whispering softly:
"Bakuha." (1)
The following vacuum sucked the air out of their lungs and spat fire back out, ravaging the surrounding area with flames, but Deidara's expert placement of his comrades allowed for their safety. (2)
Deidara backed off of Sasori's space and grinned slightly, which was returned slightly by Sasori. "You are out of control."
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When Itachi stood after the blast the ground zero was a mass of shrapnel sliced and harshly burned bodies, their souls already gone. First he screamed his command and then checked to count those that ran off, and whispered the destination to Ino. After that he had to count those staying to fight, their intention was not a massacre simply escape, but they had to make sure that the policing forces could not follow. Itachi searched for a way out of the fight, and a diversion, something, anything. Then it hit him. The main gates, they were built like fort gates and had to be pulled up to exit, once they came down it would take a significant amount of time and many men to open them once more. There was a sentry entrance and exit point, but that was small enough to close off easily.
Itachi threw himself into the fight beside Sasori, whispering his plan to him. Jumping off to tell others his plan, he left Sasori to inform Deidara, a key player.
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Sasuke ran ahead not sure of a direction, until Ino loped beside him and said simply 'home.' He grinned, ready to have a place where he and Naruto could simply be him and Naruto. The moment he passed through the gates of the city, he remembered the day he had promised that he would get Naruto out of there. He felt Naruto clench his shirt and felt Naruto press his face into the crook of his neck. Naruto raised his head up and said softly, lovingly, "Thank you."
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Itachi broke the chain holding up the gate to the village. Everyone was already running ahead except Deidara, whom placed a few explosives into the other exit and detonated them. A few fools attempted to run through before the explosives went off and failed, the exit collapsed in on itself, as the door fell. A few soldiers were squashed underneath the weight of the door, while others were killed by the blast or the crumbling rocks falling in on them. Itachi spared no looks back as they ran as fast as possible to the place they called 'home.'
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Naruto felt the adrenaline drain from his body, as Itachi and the rest caught up. The words: "No one is following us." Dropped him off the cliff of exhaustion.
"I've got you." Sasuke whispered as Naruto allowed the strong scent of Sasuke drain him of fight and rock him to sleep.
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He awoke when someone opened the door to wherever he was. He felt someone at his back shuffle in the seemingly eternal darkness.
"Itachi." The voice sounded far away, but the chest behind him rumbled against his back so he knew it was this person. The voice seemed familiar, but Naruto couldn't quite place it. (3)
The hand around his waist, when had that gotten there, tightened around him. Suddenly everything seemed to click. It was Sasuke, he was with Sasuke, and Itachi had opened the door, the lack of questioning in Sasuke's voice told him that. He decided that he was too tired to alert them that he was awake, so he simply decided to eavesdrop.
"Otouto, you are awake." It wasn't a question; it was a statement that implied question.
"I find myself unable to sleep." Sasuke replied quietly.
"Not uncommon for you under general circumstances. However, extremely uncommon seeing as how you are with Naruto, I imagined you would be completely gone to the world right now."
"I feel too excited to sleep. Have you ever felt like that, like now that you have the one thing you have always wanted you can't sleep?"
"Many times," Itachi answered softly, "the main question is are you afraid or are you excited. You would be surprised how often those two coincide." Naruto found himself forgetting that Itachi was just five years older than them. He had the feeling about him as if he was the wisest man in the world. Naruto also found himself thinking that these little nighttime chats weren't very uncommon. Itachi's soft footfalls were almost unheard, but clearly meant to be heard, seeing as how if Itachi didn't want you to hear him move, you wouldn't. His hands felt along the bottom of the bed, making sure that he wasn't about to sit on someone's limbs, and then he sat gently at the bottom of the bed.
"I'm a little of both. I'm afraid that I'll fall asleep and wake up and realize that it was all a dream, that Naruto is still with that bastard, that I never saved him like I promised."
"I can assure you that Orochimaru is dead, and will not be coming back. That it was not a dream, I should know, seeing as how it was my hands his blood bathed, and was washed from."
"I know Aniki, it was you it is always you who always comes when I cry out. I know that Aniki." The almost whining hint to his voice threw Naruto back, and suddenly they were five again and Sasuke was hidden behind his brother's legs, hidden from his father. Naruto shivered at that thought. Sasuke's father had been a frightening man. He felt the intensity of both Uchiha's eyes fall on him.
"Poor Naruto-kun. I sometimes wish I knew what Orochimaru had done to him, and then I rethink that idea. I really don't want to know." Itachi said softly.
"I don't care to know either. I believe it would make me angry with a dead man. There is no way to vent against the dead." Itachi stifled a laugh. Sasuke looked to him. "What?"
"Nothing, just I still find myself angry with father for his treatment of you, and how incredibly right you were just then."
"Is there something funny about me being right?"
"Lots of things." Naruto mumbled. Sasuke looked down to him, and Itachi lit a candle while softly laughing.
"And the princess awakens." Itachi intoned.
"Who are you calling a princess, Mrs. Uchiha?" Itachi chuckling continued.
"Believe me he is no princess, I checked." Sasuke said. Itachi's chuckling had yet to have ceased. Sasuke memorized this as the first time he had seen Itachi laugh for so long.
"I checked too, or did Naruto not tell you about that time in the showers." Naruto began laughing at the look on Sasuke's face.
"This has gone too far." Sasuke mumbled sullenly. Naruto laughed lightly. "What time is it Aniki?"
"Early morning, I would guess the dial would say eight." Itachi said softly. "You can sleep if you like, or you can get up for breakfast."
"Breakfast sound good?" Sasuke asked Naruto, to which he received a nod. Itachi smiled and left.
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"Mmm, Sasori-danna, un." The door slammed open, and suddenly Sasori was on the floor.
"What the fucking hell?" Deidara screamed.
"That's what I should be saying! Could you be any louder?"
"I know your greatest wish is to catch a glimpse of my untainted skin, but, my God, Kisame."
"What the fuck? Untainted? Tell me, when did I miss you being a virgin, because I was pretty sure that never even existed."
"Will you three shut the hell up?" Was screamed through the floor, accompanied with loud banging.
"I haven't said shit!" Sasori yelled at the false accusation. "It's these two retards doing all the yelling." To those words there was two different simultaneous reactions:
"Who the hell are you calling a retard?" Kisame yelled.
"Sasori-danna, I thought you loved me." Deidara's loud wailing, and Kisame yelling at him to 'shut the fuck up' of course followed this statement.
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Sasuke looked up at the ceiling from which many loud screams and wailing secreted.
"I preferred the moaning." He figured he might as well get in his two cents, by screaming this to the ceiling. The wailing stopped, but was replaced by:
"How dare you take his fucking side? I'll get you Uchiha-gaki." Naruto smiled stretching and standing from the bed. Sasuke threw him clothes and stripped, bathing himself in the basin by the dresser. Naruto blushed and carefully took his place by Sasuke nude as well. Grabbing the washcloth he was silently offered. He began to wipe down and then dry and dress, the clothing was just a bit too big on him, but not excessively so. Sasuke who had not looked directly at him since he had undressed now observed him and said simply.
"They are too big." His eyes were carefully gauging the difference so that he could tell Ino how to make him more clothing.
"Not by too much." Naruto replied. Approaching Sasuke slowly and allowing Sasuke to kiss him softly and smiling softly as Sasuke began to attempt to take off the clothes he had just put on and said softly, "breakfast." At that point he could have felt the passion fall out of him.
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"So what about this girl?" Kisame asked. "We kill her?"
"No, I'm sure we can use her, somehow." Itachi said.
"Women aren't of much use." Deidara scoffed.
"So says a gay man." Ino teased. "Women have plenty of uses."
"So says a lesbian girl." Deidara mocked. Ino put on a face of mock offense, and 'humph'-ed her way over to the girl, kicking her in the side. The girl jumped awake, and glared about the room.
"Who the hell are you? I'll have you know my father is an influential councilman."
"See, we should have killed her." Kisame said bluntly.
"You wouldn't dare! My father-" She began.
"-Is an incompetent fool, like most of the still active councilmen." Itachi called from the kitchen that was openly attached to the room the rest were in.
"Especially the influential ones." Kisame added.
She screamed, scandalized. It was at this point that Sasuke and Naruto came up from the lower area of the house.
"You, you whore." She spat at Naruto. Sasuke started for her, but was beat to the fun by Sasori who simply kicked the girl in the head, knocking her to the floor.
"Stop," Naruto commanded. "She 's just scared."
"Why would I be scared of you? Who the hell are you people?" Itachi reentered the room.
"I apologize, our manners escape us at times. I am Uchiha Itachi, former second in command of the Special Forces. You may remember my accomplishments from a few years ago."
"I'm Hoshigaki Kisame, and I have no idea why the hell we are explaining ourselves to you, but judging by the glare directed at me from Itachi-san it has something to do with etiquette. Your council may have heard of me, I am one of the Swords of the West. They had an –uh- disagreement with how I handle things, and so I was exiled."
"Un-un, my turn, I'm Deidara! I like art! 'Boom' just like that." Nodding emphatically his visible eye upturned in an obvious joy.
"Calm the hell down gaki! I am Sasori no Akasuna. I was the designer for all battle weaponry in the Suna. You may recall my weapons humiliating you in battle."
"Ino Yamanaka, simply a runaway taken in by Itachi and Sasuke."
"Sasuke Uchiha, you may remember me as the one who attempted a rescue mission on Naruto-kun a few years ago. It failed, this time, however, I can assure you that it was a success and will remain a success if I have to kill you myself."
"You already know me Sakura-san," Iruka said coming out from the outskirts. "And I assume you know Kakashi-san and Naruto-kun as well."
"Now that that is done, back to the first question. What are we going to do with you?" Kisame smiled, his sharpened teeth showing.
"First there is breakfast." Itachi reminded the group.
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Sasori glared at the eggs on his plate, and they stared back at him blankly.
"Sasori-danna, you have to eat your eggs."
"No." Sasori said dispassionately.
"I ate mine, you should eat yours."
"No." Sasori reiterated. Deidara took his fork up, cutting the white of the egg and stabbing the yolk, allowing it dribble all over the white of the egg, and salting and peppering it. Mixing the concoction up, he stabbed a piece of yellow-dyed egg white.
"Danna, open wide!" He said cheerily; poking Sasori in the lips with the fork, which proved ineffective.
"Open wide." He commanded. Sasori failed, once again, to comply. Deidara reached out and grabbed Sasori's cheeks with one hand and forced the hinges open shoving the egg in his mouth and quickly forcing his mouth closed. He finished his attack with cutting off Sasori's airways by pinching his nose. "Swallow or suffocate." Sasori complied dispassionately. Pleased with himself, Deidara allowed Sasori to breathe in. "I will repeat the process with every single piece of egg on this plate if you don't eat it willingly."
"No." Sasori said softly.
"No to what?"
"No, you will not, and no, I will not." Deidara glared at Sasori.
"Eat or no sex." Sasori continued to stare.
"You need as much as I do, if not more."
"Just do it."
"No."
"Fucking eat the eggs, Sasori!" Kisame shouted.
"Quiet Kisame, consider it a strange form of foreplay." Itachi interrupted.
"What the hell? Who argues to get it up?" Kisame yelled.
"They do, now shut up and eat your breakfast, then you can go scare the pink-haired captive." Itachi said simply.
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After breakfast, the house was back to a state of almost normal. One could hear the almost embarrassing moans from Sasori and Deidara's room. Kisame was back to terrifying the 'pink-haired captive' and regaling her with tales of his 'heroism'. Iruka who had been sure to bring his literature was acting out pieces of plays with Naruto and analyzing the deeper meaning to them. Kakashi was lecherously staring at Iruka as he instructed Naruto with his shirtsleeves rolled up to above his elbows, his hair pulled back into a high ponytail, and his shirt partially un-tucked. Itachi and Sasuke sat in a corner playing chess. Whispering in low tones to one another, two pairs of ebony eyes calculating their opponent.
Naruto had abandoned all hope of learning anything with Iruka constantly blushing, stuttering, and periodically turning around to ask Kakashi to 'please, stop that.' So he walked over to the pair of Uchiha in the corner. Just in time to hear Itachi say "Check" Sasuke's eyes looked hopelessly at the board trying to find a way out of losing.
Naruto reached over him and moved his queen just slightly and said simply. "Checkmate." Itachi surveyed the board and looked to make sure he had in fact lost, and sighed hopelessly.
"To be expected of Arashi's son." (4)
"That's why I never play him." Sasuke said.
"Oh, I thought it was because you didn't want to beat him."
"No, it was because he beat me once without losing a single piece, I gave up after that."
"I almost hate to believe it." Itachi chuckled, "seeing as how I trained you myself along with Kakashi-san."
"Better believe it. I always win chess."
"What do you say we have a game then, hm?" Itachi asked.
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"I don't understand how you won." Naruto whined.
"I remained five steps ahead. You were three steps ahead. It was a close game though, good job."
"Itachi, what are we going to do with the girl?" Naruto asked.
"We have two options, kill her or bring her with us. Killing her would be the safest option; in that respect both Deidara and Kisame are correct. She is useless, we can't make her a slave, if we let her free she would simply cause problems by trying to run. We can't extract useful information from her; she has none we would be interested in. She does however have information about us that we would not like her to have. Ino's assumption that she can be useful for her is true, but also dangerous. Ino may grow compassionate of her, and that will give her possibilities, by all rights we should kill her. I hate to, though. Really, what use would a dead body be? We should have left her behind, but she knew our faces. It's a complex problem."
"One not easily solved. Especially since I think Ino has already grown attached to the girl. Leaving the girl to Kisame's machinations seems a good idea. He knows how to watch his tongue and how to keep a prisoner under control. He isn't really interested in her, but he won't disobey you, brother." Sasuke added.
"Well, I don't want to kill her, but I don't want to go back. Itachi, do you think Sasuke's plan holds merit?"
"I do, but it is still iffy. I also think remaining here for much longer is iffy. I say we hold down here, but we have things ready to go at a moments notice. Have Kisame hide his preparations, don't let the girl know, and don't let Ino know."
"Why not Ino?"
"Ino has a loose tongue around pretty girls. I hate to deny Ino the availability of a possible lover though. I say they have supervised meetings. Allow Ino to take care of her, but don't allow Ino to fall in love with her. A good plan perhaps."
"And if she does?"
"Then we are screwed."
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A/N: That is where I stop this time. Sigh, sorry about the overall crappiness of this chapter, feel free to tell me just how crappy it is. Please Review.
(1)Bakuha- Japanese for 'blast or explosion.'
(2)When an explosion is set off, the surrounding air is sucked in to feed the fire, which temporarily creates a vacuum, or area in which there is no oxygen, in the surrounding area. I had a better paragraph here, but I accidentally erased it and couldn't remember it. It was my favorite lines too, and I cry.
(3)This is an effect of insomnia. Insomniacs, which I am sure quite a few of you are, fall straight into lower levels of sleep decreasing their wakefulness and awareness of their surroundings dramatically. You remain in deep sleep until you wake up. Which is why when you first wake up everything seems strangely unreal and far away.
(4)I know they have announced his actual name and that this name is now incorrect, but I can't remember the new name and changing names now would be foolishness. It would be confusing and pointless, you know who I mean so it shouldn't matter.