Only slightly disoriented, Sasuke opened his eyes, and looked around his new surroundings. It seemed that he now found himself in the afterlife, wherever that may be. It was nothing like he had ever imagined. Sure, he had not been expecting fire and brimstone, but neither had he been picturing a quaint little room with polished floors and simple, white walls. He slowly sat up, gazing down at his hands, as if to make sure he was really there, and it was not some strange dream.
It was real. The silk sheets he was under were softer than anything his mind could make up. He threw them off and stood up from the expensive looking futon, stumbling slightly on his way to the door. It was time to explore, and if he had any luck, he would find Sakura.
Sakura woke to the feel of smooth lips on her shoulder, softly kissing the blade. She groaned softly, then stretched against her partner. With that small stretch, she felt the after effects of the previous night in a twinge of pain between her legs. It all came back in vivid detail, and she blushed crazily as she recalled what she did, and then because of the very naked man she was curled up with, flush to her back. He saw this much, and chuckled to himself.
"Did you sleep well, Koishii?" He breathed into her neck, sending shivers up and down her spine. She was almost certain, though not sure why, that he was doing it on purpose. His arms, which had been laying lazily on her hip, became more secure, tugging her against her tightly.
She twisted in his hold until facing his chest, then tilted her head up to look him in the eye. "Yes, I did, as a matter fact." She replied cheekily. He smirked, catching her tone, then gave her a kiss to the forehead. Then she sighed, relaxing in his hold. She never wanted to untangle herself from him, not for anything in the world.
Long, slender fingers trailed up and down her sides, almost as if they were teasing her. He chuckled when she giggled, then swooped down to take her lips. Itachi tilted his mouth for better access, and then ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, begging for entrance. She quickly obliged, and he hummed almost happily when divulging in her, drinking from her mouth.
Sakura moaned softly, but the sound never escaped her mouth. His hand gripped her back, cinching her bare body closer to his. He could never get close enough, never be completely satisfied, and he always would need more of her. She was his sweet temptation, and he never hesitated with what he wanted, Sakura being no exception.
She pushed softly on his chest, and he laid fully on his back, never even letting her lips go as she moved to straddle his chest shyly. Itachi placed a hand on either hip, holding her small frame in place. Her breath hitched at the feel of his cool fingers as they tightened on her waist, but she did not object. Her own, dainty hands went to twist into his hair, tugging slightly and enticing a grunt out of him.
When Sakura had set eyes on Itachi for the very first time, when she was still alive, she would never have thought him to be so capable of emotion. He had been standing across a clearing stonily, his expression blank, his eyes impassive. Now, as he passionately kissed her, massaging small circles into her lower back, she knew that he was one of the most expressive men she had ever met.
Almost very suddenly, he flipped them over, and his bigger form hovered over her as scandalous lips trailed her revealed body, leaving traces of saliva and little, pulsating, red, bruise-like marks as they traveled. He hummed softly, whether it be to himself or to her, she was uncertain. He did not stall, but simply went for what he wanted; closing his hot, moist mouth around a perked nipple. Sakura nearly screamed at that.
Sasuke followed his senses, his body prickling at the feel of familiar chakras. He assumed it was morning, because there was no one to be seen in the halls, but there were lights anyway. It was such a strange place, where he now found himself, but that did not matter. He recognized the chakra residues to several people he knew, and the only connection he could find between them was the fact that he had killed each of them.
He passed by a bathroom, where he heard Orochimaru cackling to himself, up to no good, as usual. Then there was a bedroom, which he supposed most of the rooms he was passing were, and he was certain he could sense Karin in it, her chakra at rest, so she must have been sleeping still. Next to that, he distinguish the signature of that blond terrorist, inserting a fair amount of chakra into something; a bomb, no doubt. Then, in the middle of the hall, he picked it up.
Sakura's chakra signal. He followed the traces of her energy, stopping only when he reached a closed door. At first, the only thing he could tell was that she was not alone. Then he distinguished the chakra signature that he was very familiar with. Sakura was in that room with his brother. Normally, this would have bothered him, but he knew Itachi was innocent now, and so he was sure Sakura was in no danger. He knew very well that Itachi had chosen Sakura to continue the line with him, once Sasuke was old enough.
There was loud, pleased moan that he knew was coming from Sakura. Something in his chest dropped into his stomach as dread set in. "Itachi, we are going to wake everyone up."
He had to wake up. This all had to be some sort of twisted nightmare, and he was going to wake up any second. There was no way his brother was in bed with the woman he loved. It just was not possible. Somehow, Sasuke knew that it was very true though. He was sure he was going to be sick.
"If it makes you feel better, I can put up a sound barrier, Koishii." He heard Itachi reply. Koishii? His brother even had an endearment for her? This was ridiculous. It needed to be stopped before he heard too much. Sasuke probably had heard too much as it was. He did the only thing he could think of; throw open the door.
Two angry faces swerved around to glare at the intruder, but the fury was quickly replaced with shock when they saw who was standing at the door, throughly interrupting their morning. It was the last person they could have possible expected, and the last person Sakura had ever wanted to see again. Uchiha Sasuke.
Sakura pressed lightly on Itachi's chest, and he wordlessly shifted off her, allowing them to both sit, facing the open door. Sasuke gaped at them both, but recovered quickly, a glare pulling his black eyebrows downward. To say he was angry was an understatement. Sasuke was livid. He watched furiously as Itachi gently lifted a white sheet to cover Sakura, protecting her modesty. Sakura's eyes met Itachi's nervously, as if she had something to say, but either could not, or was not sure how.
Itachi was concerned. He knew how much Sakura had been obsessed with Sasuke, he had been the one to help her recover from that. Now her tormenter was back, standing before them both angrily. As if they had done something wrong. Would she change her mind now that Sasuke was there, leaving him behind for her previous love? God, he hoped not. He had spent his entire life alone, and now, for once in his sad existence, he had someone. Surely their overseer would not be so cruel as to take that from him.
"What the fuck is going on?" Sasuke finally seethed. Itachi frowned, his eyebrows furrowing together. What they had been doing was quite obvious. He had been about to have another wonderful round of lovemaking with Sakura, when they had been intruded upon. Now he had the impression they would not make love that morning at all.
"I would think it quite apparent what we had been doing, ototo. If it is necessary that I explain, however, I will gladly do so." Itachi finally said with a disappointed sigh. Sakura playfully smacked him on the shoulder, muttering something under her breath that Sasuke was positive had to do with his blunt statement. They were so comfortable with each other, which was enough to sicken Sasuke.
"Why is this happening? Where did I go wrong?" Sasuke asked himself, staring down at his shaking hands. Sakura snorted at his reflective question, as if to imply there was a lot of things he did wrong in his life.
"I can make a list, if you want. Maybe we can start with when you left konoha." Sakura retorted. Itachi rolled his eyes, but did not disagree. Leaving konoha for the snake sannin was the beginning of a series of mistakes Sasuke had made. He had no right to say anything though, as he was the catalyst of Sasuke's actions. If the massacre had never taken place, then Sasuke would never have needed to become stronger.
"I am not the one who went from one brother to the next!" Sasuke shouted back. Sakura flinched, then blushed at his implication. He was right, of course. She had been desperately in love with him, and now she felt that way for Itachi, but that was not entirely her fault. Sasuke had broken her heart, had mentally tortured her, and Itachi was the one who had pulled her out of that. It was simply coincidence that they were brothers. That thought had hardly crossed her mind, considering how different they were.
"You are not completely blameless, Sasuke." Sakura whispered, her arms crossing over her chest. Sasuke noticed grimly that he no longer merited the suffix '-kun.' "I was broken, killed by you in more than one way. It could have been anyone at first, but Itachi was the only one who cared enough to stay with me through that nightmare. He held me through the night when I could not sleep for crying, and I suppose that was how the bond was first made. You cannot condemn me for what we have done together."
What she told him was an unexpected punch to the gut, one that ripped right through him. Surely, she knew how he felt about her; she had to. Could he really have hurt her so much with that simple kiss? Had he really have that effect on her mentality? He had never suspected it would torture her as it apparently had. The fact that Itachi had somehow involved himself, though, was slightly unsettling. Sasuke knew his brother was not heartless, but even before the massacre, Itachi had never emotionally involved himself in anything, really.
"I hurt you. I realize that. But did you need to stab me in the back? It was you; it had always been you, then you went to him. How could you do that?"
Sakura was surprised with herself. She should have been broken down at that point, crying and groveling at Sasuke's feet, begging for his forgiveness. She was not sorry for how she felt for Itachi though, and would not bow down at his undeserving presence. New strength surged through her veins, the thought that Sasuke had no true influence over he any longer leaving her the impression of empowerment.
"If I had ever meant anything to me, then you would not have killed me. You cannot expect me to be the forgiving child you knew as a genin."
Relief washed over Itachi at her words. He had nothing to be concerned about, after all. Sakura's once unhealthy infatuation had been outgrown, and she had no intention in going back to Sasuke, now that he had found himself in the afterlife. This should have been a given, he supposed, after they made love the night previous. Sakura had gifted him something that she had never shared with any other man, and she did not take that lightly.
"You were the same when you came to kill me, Sakura! You were still obsessed with me, still willing to do anything I asked of you! You were that little girl, still desperate for my attention and love! People cannot just change that easily!" He shouted, his fists clenching at either side of him.
Itachi spoke at last, after watching them go back and forth. "What she went through could hardly be considered easy, ototo. You were not there to see her unable to sleep at night, kept up by tears and tormenting dreams of you. She had become a shell of a person, her thought process skewed and her eyes blinded by her aspirations for you to become the man she wished you were. Even the Tsukuyomi could never have created such a nightmare." He murmured, shocking them both.
Sasuke had the strange feeling that Itachi had just scolded him in his own way for the way Sakura had been left. He had seen the terrifying visions created by the Tsukuyomi for himself, and was well aware of that realm's physical effects on a person. For Sakura to suffer something worse than that, and that he had caused something so awful, made Sasuke feel sick again.
"What was I supposed to do, let her kill me? I could not do that, I had to continue the clan. That was my job. I could not die." Sasuke breathed, as if he were talking to himself. Sakura felt a pang of guilt, and though she still was beyond angry with the tormentor of her dreams, she could comprehend how much pressure he must have felt.
She did not hate Sasuke, and though she would rather not ever see him again, she had wished him the best. If Itachi had never come along, she would never have been able to think so positively, of that she was certain.
Itachi sighed. He honestly never thought he would have to face his brother again, especially under such awkward terms. Sasuke was not supposed to have died so early after him, but he had ended up killing himself. It was a distressing thought to be sure. It was even more unnerving than before, because Sasuke had been told his darkest secrets, and Itachi no longer knew what his younger brother thought of him. That was a whole other conversation, one which he was unprepared to approach.
Sakura automatically sensed his distress, as if she were connected to him through a hot wire, and subtly moved closer to sooth him. He accepted this gratefully, moving an arm around her back. She leaned her head of disheveled hair onto his shoulder, letting out a deep breath of air. Itachi knew Sakura must have had healing abilities that extended to a person's spirit as well, because this small, comforting action was enough to warm the coldness that had fallen over him.
"Do you honestly believe that I had been capable of killing you, Sasuke? Sure, that had been why I went to you, but I knew there had been no chance of defeating you. There was a million things you could have done differently, but you did not. Now, we find ourselves here, and I am perfectly content with it; happy, even. I do not regret hunting you down, even dying by your hand, considering where I am now."
He would have no 'happily ever after,' Sasuke realized slowly, because Sakura could no longer be his, with his brother draping his strong arm about her naked back. Sakura was not going to jump into his arms, then beg for him to take her, body and soul. He would not fall asleep with her each night, then wake up with her every morning. She had moved on. He refused to give her up entirely, at least he did not want to, but Itachi never lost anything that was his.
What now? Sasuke silently wondered. The only thing he had been looking forward to in death was Sakura, but she was no longer his. Itachi. His brother. If nothing else, maybe he could use this chance to repair their damaged relationship as brothers, put things back as they had once been, long before the Uchiha massacre. After finding out the truth, there was so many things he had wanted to ask his deceased brother, and now he had the opportunity.
Itachi watched as Sasuke's face fell, and confusion took over. Seconds slowly passed, feeling more like hours, when he finally came up out of his musing, his mind made up on something. Their dark eyes met cautiously, and a certain understanding flowed through them. It might be difficult, impossible even, but they both wished to rebuild their fallen relationship as brothers. They had both changed so much thought their separate, miserable lives, and things would never flow exactly as they used to, but it was worth the try.
This small exchange of glances did not go unnoticed by Sakura. She felt a certain warmth at their brotherly care, hoping that they could, after so many years of being apart, be able to fix their bond. Knowing Itachi, it would work out. He always got what he wanted, herself being a prime example.
"I want to talk, aniki." Sasuke asked timidly, reminding Itachi instantly of a younger Sasuke, who always used to tail behind his older brother, looking up at him with pride and determination. To hear Sasuke call him that again brought him back, and although he normally did not appreciate any reminders of the Uchiha clan before the massacre, when they had been planning underground, it was not so bad this time.
An invisible smile tugged slightly on his lips. "We will, ototo." The but I want to shower first, was quickly relayed through their black eyes. It still irritated Sasuke that Itachi had gotten Sakura, but for now, he would have to be more lenient. He nodded his head silently, then shutting the bedroom door to give them privacy to cover themselves more properly.
Sakura was the first to step out, and Sasuke knew that what she was wearing could not have belonged to her. He tried to ignore the fact that she was clothed in Itachi's boxers and tee, and instead focused on her appearance. Then he noticed how swollen her lips were, and that there were red marks all along the pale skin of her neck, courtesy of Itachi. This entire situation was going to prove itself problematic, it seemed.
"Itachi needs to take a cold shower. You should know this is the second time this week that he has been left hanging, so this is rather important to him." Sakura huffed, taking his wrist and then tugging him down the hall, retracing the steps he had taken to reach their shared bedroom.
"Where are we going?" He grumbled, trying to block out the implications Sakura had just made about his brother. Of course, it was natural that she talked like this, he reminded himself.
"Before I show you around, there is something you have to do, on account of all morality." She replied quietly. They stopped in front of the door that he had earlier sensed Karin's presence behind. Sasuke frowned, but did not get the chance to stop her before Sakura knocked on the door.
"Hey, Karin! Get up already! I have all the juicy details!" She called, smirking to herself. Sasuke's eyebrows scrunched together in bewilderment, wondering what gossip Sakura could possibly be talking about. It must have been something important to Karin though, because the door shot open with enthusiasm.
"I already know he pounded you into the ground. We could hear you from the goddamned kitchen! I told you it would be worth it."
Ah, that gossip. He did not want to hear more about how Itachi had bedded Sakura, and tried to yank himself free. Sakura would not have it though. Karin noticed the small struggle, and gasped at seeing the young Uchiha behind Sakura. Sasuke really did not want to be there, considering Karin's infamous infatuation.
"Apologize, you retard." Sakura demanded, hammering a fist down on his head. He glared at her subtly, now understanding how Naruto must have felt with Sakura always whacking him upside the head. He said nothing though, turning to look at the disgruntled, red-haired kunoichi. He supposed Sakura was right in demanding this of him, after he had killed her cruelly. She had been his teammate.
"I should not have killed you, Karin. I apologize." He muttered. Sasuke earnestly expected her to cry tears of joy and jump at him passionately. She, however did nothing.
"Sure. Apology accepted." She answered, then turning to Sakura, a mischievous smile playing across her face. "I want details now, Sakura. Tell me everything that sexy, sexy man of yours did last night."
Sakura laughed, then replied, "I cannot tell you everything right now, but I will say this much: it does run in the family." Both girls started to giggle in a way Sasuke knew was not innocent. Part of him did not want to even know what ran in his family.
She had been, of course, alluding to their first real conversation, when Karin had proclaimed Itachi's assets were exceptionally large, and they had come to the conclusion that all Uchiha must be just as developed. Neither were willing to tell Sasuke this to his face though, no matter how much he was dying with curiosity. They had gotten in trouble with Itachi about the same thing, and it would be stupid for Sasuke to scold them for that reason.
"I told you there was no way someone with what he has could possibly be gay, or hormone-less. It just is not logical." Karin remarked, patting her friend on the back in congratulations. Not every woman was given the opportunity to be deflowered by such a god of a man. Now Sasuke was certain that he did not want to know what they were talking about. He was better off in the dark.
"Well, I did not know him as much then, and I had never seen it for myself. You can hardly blame me for what my opinion was." Sakura replied proudly, her arms crossed against her chest. Then they both broke out in giggles again, disturbing Sasuke throughly.
"I will never forget the look on his face when you opened the door after hearing about that, and then you teased him about the microphone-brush incident. Hilarious is the only word I have for that. Is he still angry that you saw him doing that?"
Sasuke blinked. He was trying to block out everything entirely, but he could not help but to be curious when Karin said something about his brother and a microphone-brush. They did not look at him though, and so he was kept in the dark again, even though he wanted to know more about this one. The girls continued to chat away regardless, utterly ignoring the fact that he was standing there. He did not like being ignored by them.
"Sakura." He murmured, drawing the attention of both girls. They looked annoyed that with how they had been cruelly interrupted, but paused nonetheless. Sasuke gave her a look that clearly said he did not want to be standing there, and she gave and exasperated sigh, supposing that it was about time she brought him into the living room.
"I will give you details later, Karin." Sakura grumbled, turning to leave. The other kunoichi nodded her head in comprehension, then watched as they both left, Sakura having released his wrist after he had apologized. It was amusing to her, because if Sasuke had showed up a month previous, She and Sakura probably would have ended up fighting over him. Now, however, neither of them had any interest in Sasuke, at least not in the same way.
Sakura saw from the corner of her eye as he silently sighed, then as he frowned down at the floor while they walked on to the living room. She had to admit, it would be complicated, but they had been teammates at one point, and so when things went wrong, there was always one thing they could do, if things needed to be resolved. She did not particularly look forward to that, but it was necessary.
She could not allow for Itachi to mend his relationship with Sasuke, but herself remain distant from him. It could potentially make things more difficult between the brothers, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Besides, she wanted to show the same level of maturity that Itachi had, and prove that she really had moved on. Itachi had suffered needlessly for Sasuke, and then killed at his hand, but he was willing to forgive and forget that.
Suddenly, Sasuke paused in the middle of the hall, then looked her straight in the eyes. "Sakura, we need to talk about what happened to us."
AN: This chapter was sooo much fun to write. I have been planning this part out in my head for months, and so it was exciting to finally write it out. There are a few things I suppose I need to clear up about Sasuke (or seasick, as the computer likes to call him), though. Itachi had said earlier that Sasuke would never be able to enter purgatory, but now he has. Itachi had been assuming that Sasuke would never commit suicide, and because their little world was for specifically people Sasuke killed, if he killed himself, he would be able to enter. Hope that makes things less confusing for you, if it had been confusing at all. ^^ Review!