Chapter 2

"There are some things we just can't do right now Itachi-san!" Hinata said, slamming her hands down onto the table in front of her.

The Uchiha winced slightly and sighed. So far all of their efforts to stop the destruction that Itachi had started, had been in vain. No matter how hard they try tired, or what they did, they were always three steps behind.

The dark concrete room which the meeting was held in was cold; it smelled of mold and somewhat of death. There were no windows, there was only one way out of the room. If they were to be cornered at that very minute, they would more than likely be slaughtered were they stood.

Inuzuka Tsume looked up from her spot and smirked, her canines seemed to be sharper each time Itachi saw her.

"I actually think it'd be rather interesting," she said, tilting her chair back onto the back two legs.

"What you're suggesting Itachi is suicide," Nara Shikaku spoke, his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest. "Ours numbers aren't high enough to take back the east side of the city. Besides, attempting to over throw the Uchiha's control with so many being watched…" he opened his eyes, "we shouldn't have even gathered here today."

Itachi shook his head and crossed his arms, his body was tense and his eyes tired, he couldn't remember the last time he had actually slept, "My source says that Fugaku is too busy worrying about my Otouto's marriage right now, he's not watching what the rebels are doing nearly as close as before, this could be our only chance to strike."

"We can't offer your Sasuke any protection Itachi, he's as bad as the rest of them," Yamanaka Inoichi added, leaning against the cold hard wall.

"I understand that… I've heard of my brother's rampages, I don't need to hear it from you as well," Itachi said, giving the blonde a cold glare, his sharingan swirling a blood red in his eyes.

"…Are you sure of this Itachi?" Hinata questioned, looking at him with uncertainty, then said, "We've been misled before, and it cost us a lot, can we really put our faith in this one?"

Itachi's glare faded as he turned his gaze to the leading Hyuuga, "I trust them, which should be enough for you."

"So, who is it my Otouto is engaged to anyways?" Itachi asked, staring out his apartment window, twirling his alcohol around his glass.

He found the liquid had a clamming effect on him. It soothed his sore muscles, and lulled his eyes and mind into a sleepy state. If only it lasted longer.

The cloaked figure stood behind him; everything hidden from his view, or anyone else's. The only thing he knew was that the person was female; she wished to keep herself a secret to him. Perhaps she didn't trust him, but then again, he couldn't blame her if she didn't.

"A woman from the sand, she has a bad temper from what I hear. She's rather happy about the arrangement though, apparently she sees that it adds to her own power."

"Lovely," Itachi spoke bitterly; taking another sip from his glass, he turned towards her, his eyes dark from the effects of the liquor.

The female lifted her head slowly, her lips curled down lightly in a small frown. Itachi took in the detail of her lips and chin for the short time he could. He noticed two scars on her face, small in width, running from the corners of her mouth and up under the hood. The scars were jagged, and almost made her appear as if she were smiling sadistically.

Taking another sip from his glass Itachi appeared in front of her without a sound as he allowed his glass to drop to the ground and shatter. Her frown changed as she tightened her jaw, she didn't look up at him, but from the sound of her breathing Itachi could guess that she wasn't used to, nor liked, his closeness. The Uchiha's lips curved up in an amused smirk as he raised his hand and cupped the side of her hooded face, the cloth warm from her face beneath it.

"I could kill you, where you stand," he spoke, his voice soft but intimidating. He reached his thumb out slightly, the pad of his thumb about to brush over her bottom lip when her hand snapped up and wrapped around his wrist.

Her touch was cold, but perhaps that was just from the leather around her what appeared to be rather small hands. A flicker of amusement crossed his eyes as he allowed her to throw his hand back towards him.

"Kill me and then you'll have no one to look over you precious Otouto, Uchiha-san," she spoke, her voice soft as if she doubted she was the only one that could do the job he'd appointed her.

Itachi stared at her coldly, then said, "I'll leave you be, for now, but one wrong move, one whisper of my name, and I'll be sure your tongue is cut out of that little mouth of yours."

The woman's lips curled up into a soft smile, "I do what I'm paid to do, Uchiha-san."

He smirked, "As I thought."

Itachi turned his back from her and walked to the table by his window. He picked up one of the cool glasses then grabbed for one of his alcohol bottles, and poured the liquid into the glass. When he turned around, the woman was gone.

His head rang the morning when he awoke, but the burning from the sun when it's light hit his eyes hurt worse. He had vague memories of talking with his spy, had he truly been that far gone when they'd spoke? Forcing himself to stand to his feet -which he almost immediately regretted- he made his way to his bathroom and opened his medicine cabinet. Itachi took a moment to gather his thoughts and pulled out a bottle of extra strength pain medication. He opened the bottle and quickly plopped two pills into his mouth and swallowed them.

He sat the bottle down on the counter and wrapped his fingers around the edge of the sink. Slowly he lifted his head and looked at his reflection. It looked hardly anything like him, he looked tired, and older then what he was. How could anyone blame him though? He hadn't had any time to take care of himself in a long while. Silently he told himself that he'd get home sooner and get more sleep once he finished his business with his father, and pull away from the sink.

Itachi took a longer shower then normal and dressed himself slowly. About halfway through his shower he felt the affects of the pain medication working. With his head clearing he made his way from his apartment building onto the street. He took his time here too, closing his eyes and tilting his head back to soak in the sun for the time that he could.

"Nii-san."

Itachi opened his eyes and looked over, his eyes greeted with the sight of his little brother. His eyes softened; he hadn't seen Sasuke for several weeks. Sasuke had his hands shoved in his pockets and stared at his older brother with a look of indifference. Behind him was a young woman, her arms were held down by multiple bags that looked to be groceries. She was a pretty thing, soft blonde curls framed her face falling only about an inch past her chin, gray eyes sending cold glares at his little brother's back.

"Otouto, what are you doing here so early?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, "Okaa-san asked me to do a little shopping for her this morning."

Itachi nodded his head slightly, "I see. Then we can walk to the compound together."

"Sasuke-sama, might I remind you that there are still several items on the list that we haven't gotten," the girl spoke, her voice strangely familiar to Itachi's ears.

Sasuke sighed and smirked at his brother, "Ah, right. Let's go then Arisu, lead the way. See you later Nii-san?"

"Hn."

Itachi watched as the girl led his brother away from him and frowned. His brother seemed to only grow worse. Taking big steps Itachi felt more motivated then ever to complete his goal, screw extra sleep, his little brother needed to be saved.

I apologize for the long wait on this chapter, I had the chapter floating around in my computer for a long while, just waiting to be finished. Thank you for reading! Ideas and reviews always accepted!