EdSpikeSesshyGirl, you are god. Credit to her for some of the coming plot. I didn't use all of the ideas, (I took advantage of most :D) but thanks so much for the help.
It seemed as though morning was already approaching, and by morning, I meant light. It was probably around four, and the tiniest line of dull light could be seen on the horizon. The small crescent that was the moon had disappeared, sunk to the other end of the sky for the day.
I had until tonight, and then Orochimaru would be expecting me to head back. I hoped he hadn't planned on me departing any earlier, not that I knew if I would go back or not, at this point.
Sleep sounded wonderful, for once. Normally I hated sleeping. Even if I found my brother tonight, I would have to control myself. I'd lose in my slightly drowsy state, without question. Getting myself killed was not on the agenda, not with all the things I still had left to do. I didn't even have the weapons or materials I envisioned using with me.
"Hello, missing ninja."
I had only heard the guy speak…maybe twice, but his voice seemed to get stuck in your head. Annoying. Not Naruto annoying, either. The bad kind.
Saying nothing, I turned on Sai. Currently, I was standing on the lowest section of the fire escape on the Hokage's tower. Anyone could have walked on the street straight past me, but Sai had obviously stumbled on me, coming to the fire escape as a fluke.
"Why are you in here?" He asked.
Naruto wasn't here to be pissed at me, so I really didn't feel like talking to him. I turned my head, keeping my expression stoic against his disgusting grin. It didn't bother me a bit that he had found me. He looked like a simple kill, and all I really had to worry about was Naruto, not what this creep did.
"What does Naruto get out of you?" He wondered, shaking his head.
"I've been wondering the same thing about you." That one made it hard to keep silent. I still had a personality behind my mask.
"You know what he's planning, don't you? He'll give himself up for your sake, and perhaps the village's sake, too."
I half nodded, then quickly flicked my head towards him. "You know that's what he's doing? Really know?"
"He went outside the gates some odd minutes ago, where he was unprotected."
After the word gates, I was moving. I leapt of the railing of the suspended stairs and to the ground. I heard Sai's feet hit half a second after mine. "There's something I wanted to ask first."
I didn't grace him with stopping, so he followed me. "How long do you think Naruto will put up with you?"
I almost stopped, considering the question. "What are you talking about?" I tried to sound like I didn't care.
"I guess that isn't the right way to put it." His pace quickened so he was nearly matching me. Neither of us had to consider or plan out what we were doing. It was simple. Our drive was keeping Naruto safe. Then I started to wonder why he waited for me before he tried to go after him. It was probably so it looked like I had gone against what Naruto wanted, not him.
"It seems wrong to continue wasting your life away for you deranged brother, when you love Naruto so much, and he'd give up anything to keep you here and alive."
"No one said I was going to die." I tried to avoid answering the rest of his statement. It probably would have hurt less if he had slapped me, over that.
"So even if you live, and come back, you think you'll escape the death penalty with everything you've done?"
He was hitting every nail on the coffin, dead on. "Then what difference does it make? Even if I stop now, The Council will still kill me."
"No one said you had to come back." He was trying to mock me.
I had only gone there once. There was another option, but I had immediately discarded the idea because it would ruin whatever life Naruto had ahead of him. If I was to kill Itachi, I could remain a missing ninja, and never come back to Konoha. The thought was maybe I could take Naruto with me.
It was out of the question, even on my terms. It would make Naruto a missing ninja as well, and besides that, he had a life in Konoha. He had Iruka, Kakashi, and his memories of things like Sakura, and the missions and places we met when we were kids. Not to mention an obvious goal. If he were to come with me, he'd have to leave this place, and everything in it. Permanently.
But I had a feeling that wasn't what Sai was referring to.
"Are you saying I give up on Naruto completely, die, and leave him for-with you?" I didn't often stutter. I was talking much too quickly, and without thinking.
I could almost hear the grin in his words, even though I couldn't see him. "I didn't leave him for a Sanin pedophile."
I dropped and forgot everything else for a split second. I turned in mid run, took Sai by surprise and made him freeze, and squeezed his windpipe with both hands, precise as a snake. I lifted him slightly off of his feet. His hands flew up in a vain attempt to rip mine away. He couldn't even gasp and sputter, there was no chance of any oxygen coming in or out. I held him like this for a few seconds, then dropped him. He stumbled, barely avoiding hitting the ground. I never normally fought like that, but it was in the moment.
Nothing else was said. Nothing else needed to be said. I didn't think much either. I was jut blinded by my sudden desire to beat Sai out, even if it wasn't necessary for Naruto.
(Naruto)
Kit. You're still in pajama pants.
No way, really?
What do you have on you?
You.
On, not in. What do you have to fight?
Not much of anything. I hope I don't have to. If worse comes to worse, I have you, like I said.
What are you planning? I'm only getting snippets.
I'm not sure. I'm trying to keep the main pieces of my plan out of your head.
…
Waiting and searching seemed to be happening a lot tonight. Currently, it was waiting. I was trying to look calm, unthreatening, and off guard, but I was ready for anything inside my head. I was suddenly worried, and -vainly- regretting my plan.
Worst case scenario, the intruder isn't Itachi, and I get killed. Joy.
Okay scenario. The intruder isn't Itachi, but I don't get killed. That was just okay, because Itachi would still be alive and Sasuke would leave to go after him. I would live, but that was hardly worth it.
Best case scenario, The intruder was Itachi, and I could go with him to keep Sasuke guessing and away from him. Then hope to hell I get saved.
I recalled the first time I met Itachi with slight disgust. His outer demeanor and personality had been enough to make anyone believe he had massacred his whole family. That day, he hadn't seemed interested in Sasuke at all.
But when he pretended to be me, he hadn't known Sakura and I would be there, so his original intentions must have been for Sasuke. I haven't the slightest clue what they actually were, but I began to wonder. Maybe Sakura's death was Sakura's fault. Like Itachi hadn't been planning it, and neither had Sasuke. Suddenly it was obvious. He wouldn't have known we were there, and there was no reason he would have wanted to murder Sakura. He hadn't even laid eyes on her before. So, really, Sakura's death couldn't be blamed on Itachi, as much as I wanted to blame SOMEONE for it.
I couldn't understand why Itachi would have been there at all, and why he even cared about Sasuke in the first place.
My thinking was cut short. I took a deep breath and tried to remember I was doing something noble, and that I could get away if I tired.
Kit, you can consider anything you eat thrown up for as long as you live after this. Unless you don't live long enough to eat.
Short again. Next chapter will be longer, and way better than this.