Chapter 12

Normality?

Pein knew that his plan would not fail. He knew it. Keeping his expression neutral, he looked up, gazing at the fellow Akatsuki members seated around the wide table. His grey eyes shifted to where Kisame Hoshigaki sat.

"Kisame." Said the red-head in a monotone voice.

"Yes?" Replied the samehada wielder.

It is now your duty to rescue Konan for me."
"Rescue? They took her?"
"Much to my fury, yes."

"What do you want me to do? I can't fight in the condition my leg is in."
"There will be no fighting invovled. You will merely wait for Itachi to go out somewhere, leaving Gaara on his own. Then, use your water clones to trick Gaara into thinking that you're Itachi. Somehow, you must attack the Kazekage and leave. Preferably, you kill him. When Itachi comes back, he will be arrested for 'assaulting' the Kazekage and most probably be sentenced to death."

"Great idea."

"This will get the little bastards back for taking my woman!"
"Where are they now?"
"They can't be too far away." He looked up, meeting the glares of the rest of Akatsuki. "I am sending you all out to find them. Once they are found, Kisame will follow them back to Suna and you will all come back here, where we will decide what to do with Konan."

"Hai."

"Deidara. Wait. The rest of you go."

The blonde approached curiously. "Yes, Leader-sama?"

"I can't keep you here."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I want you to leave."
Deidara inhaled sharply. "What?! Leader-sama, what did I do wrong, yeah?!"

"You did nothing. But, I think it's time you left the organisation."

"What about my pay? I have no money! I will be living on the streets!"
"Leave."

"I'll starve, un!"
"Your bombs are dangerous, you blew up six targets yesterday and you nearly killed Madara."

"I was training and Madara shouldn't get in my way, yeah."

"Deidara, I have no time to listen to your pathetic sob-stories. Get out"

"But-"

"I said get out!"

Deidara stared at him wide eyed for a moment, turned and ran.

Itachi walked a few feet behind Gaara, glaring daggers into his back. How could he do that to Sasuke? This could be his only chance to see his little brother ever again and if Gaara breaks up with him, what the hell would he do then?!

He was so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed that Konan was talking to him.

"Itachi, are you listening?!"

"What?"

"Once we get inside, pretend to faint, then Gaara and you will fake a sickness and we'll get in for free, yeah?"

"Sure, whatever."

"Right." She walked in followed by everybody else.

Inside, Gaara began fake-coughing and shivering violently. Itachi went limp and fell to the floor. He hit the ground with a loud thud and held back a gasp of pain as his body smashed into the floorboards.

"Itachi!" Yelled Konan, picking him up.

An elderly woman's voice sounded. "Are your friends all right?"

"They're my nephews. I don't know what's wrong with them. Gaara has caught some weird virus and Itachi... well, I don't think he'll make it if we don't rest up somewhere." Said Konan. She sounded quite believable.

Temari then spoke. "We have no money, Konan."
"What? If they stay out in this freezing weather, they'll get worse!"

"You don't have to pay! I'll let you stay for free!" Exclaimed the old woman's voice.

"Are you sure?" Asked Temari.

"I would be honoured to help you out."
"Arigato! We appreciate it very much!"

"Would you like me to send a doctor out?"

"I'll see how they go."

"All right, sweetie. Pick any room."

"Thanks again."

Itachi felt himself being carried up a flight of stairs and heard a door open once they were on level ground. Konan put him down. "Good acting. Did you hurt yourself?"

"No, I'm fine." He glanced around the tiny room. There was one double bed, a sofa and two armchairs. A small table resided in the middle of the floor and there was a door across from the bed leading off to what he suspected was a bathroom.

Gaara sighed. "Hey, I feel kinda bad for taking advantage of that woman. She was really nice to us."

"Where did your 'Love only yourself' attitude go?" Asked Temari.

"Oh, I'm over that, sis."

"Really?" She smirked and hugged him.

"We can't stay here for long as Pein will probably have sent out the rest of Akatsuki by now. We'll stay here for one night and then we'll have to go." Instructed Konan, settling herself on an armchair.

"Yeah." Said Temari. "Gaara, where do you want to sleep?"

He glared at her an sighed. "I'm not going to sleep."

Her eyes saddened. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"You're not going to wait up until morning! You'll keep us awake all night!" Growled Konan. "You can sleep easily now your demon is gone."

"I won't keep you awake all night and I'll sleep when I want to, thanks."

She gave up. "Fine, but if you dare to wake me, I'll lock you in the bathroom all night."

"I don't care." He replied in a dark voice, walking over to the window. Itachi followed.

"Gaara, why can't you sleep?"

He sighed. "I don't want to talk about it. Please don't ask."

"I understand." He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Itachi, go lay down. You must rest."

He nodded slowly and made his way to the double bed, his head spinning. The springs creaked a little as he flopped on the mattress. It felt great and he fell asleep immediately.

It was evening by the time he awoke. Itachi pushed himself up, feeling blankets slide off of him. He didn't remember pulling sheets over himself. Oh well. He heard Temari and Gaara talking quietly, but couldn't make out what they were saying. In a strange way, it felt like they were all keeping something from him. When he looked around, he saw that Konan was reading a leaflet and Temari and Gaara were standing next to the bathroom. Itachi stumbled clumsily out of the bed and sat on the sofa, closing his eyes as a migraine pulsed through his head.

Gaara sat next to him and they said nothing to each other.

Konan looked up from her reading material. "You two are quiet."

Itachi smirked "Ah well."

"Gaara, you okay?"

He met her gaze. "I feel sick."

"I'm not surprised with all that coffee you had."

"Hn." He lay down on the sofa and curled up into a ball. Konan sighed and went back to reading. Itachi got up. "I need a shower." He said, walking into the bathroom. There was a tender knock at the door a few moments after. He half opened it, luckily only shirtless. "Yeah Konan?"

"Give me your clothes, I'll wash them."

"Thanks, I'll pass them to you in a minute. Wait there." He said, closing the door and stepping out of his jeans and boxers. Wrapping a towel round his waist, he folded his clothes neatly, opened the door and handed them to Konan. He glared as she glanced worriedly at his skinny frame. But before she could even open her mouth, the door had been closed and locked and Itachi was already in the shower.

He winced as the warm water stung all his wounds that had not properly healed yet. There was a little soap left in the bottle and he squeezed all of it out, coating his whole body in it, then scrubbing fiercely at his skin until it went raw. He had to wash every bit of Kisame left on him and even when he started bleeding from how hard he scrubbed, it felt as if he was still filthy with Kisame's saliva and cum. It made his stomach churn just thinking about it. Eventually, he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel round his scrawny waist. He noticed that his hair was a lot darker and longer than he realised. Though, he kept it tied up all the time so it was hard to notice. Then, he checked his wounds to make sure they weren't infected and winced at how thin he was. It would take a lot to get him back to a healthy weight again. Kisame only fed him once every three days and it wasn't as if he got much anyway. The tiny bowl of plain rice and half a glass of water was barely enough to sustain him for one day; let alone three. He sighed and once he'd dried himself down, opened the door a crack. "Are my clothes ready?"

"Not yet, but I've got some spare clothes from the owner." Said Konan, handing a pile of clothes to him through the door.

"Thanks." He just hoped they weren't too girly.

Luckily, they just consisted of a baggy crimson shirt that was much too big for him and black combats that were also hanging off his hips. He wondered how he would manage to walk without them falling down. Itachi walked out of the bathroom and saw Konan and Temari talking. Gaara was curled up, asleep on the sofa. For a second, his friend reminded him of a small animal. Funny.

"Feeling better?" Asked Konan.

"Yeah."

"Why are your arms all red and scratched?"

"Kisame... that bastard. I had to erase him from me."

She gave an inclination of the head in acknowledgement and carried on her conversation with Temari.

Itachi tried to listen in, but his mind wandered from one thing to next. It was like trying to read in detail whilst having heavy metal playing full blast in the background. Impossible.

He saw Gaara wake up, he blinked away some tears in his eyes before pushing himself up weakly. Temari said something quietly to him and he nodded.

Itachi suddenly felt confused. What weren't they telling him? He decided to keep his mouth shut until the atmosphere settled a little.

Gaara closed his eyes and lay his head on the arm of he sofa. Temari got up and walked over to the bed. "I'm beat. See you in the morning." She said.

"Yeah." He replied and went to sit next to Gaara.

"Gaara?" He said, shaking him.

"Hm?" Replied the younger boy, opening his eyes.

"You said you wouldn't sleep."

"I wasn't asleep, I don't feel well."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Feel sick."

"Still? Did you eat anything?"

"Yeah, but I couldn't keep it down."

"Want me to get Temari?"

"She's sleeping , leave her."

"I'll wake Konan."

"Don't. She's sleeping too. I'll be fine."

"If you feel worse, wake me."

He nodded.

Itachi pulled a blanket from behind the sofa and covered himself and Gaara over with it.

"Night, Gaara."

"Night."

Temari awoke. She felt as if she was a million dollars with how comfortable the bed was. Damn, it felt good to sleep for a full eight hours and not be disturbed. Konan then came out of the bathroom with her hair darkened with dampness. Her clothes were clean and she'd applied a new layer of make-up using a portable mirror from her pocket.

"Temari, hey." She said. "We can't leave today."

"Why?"

"I don't think Itachi's up to it. He is completely exhausted, both physically and mentally.

"Alright."

"Go back to bed if you want."
"No, I'm going to check on Gaara." She said, walking over to her sleeping brother and shook him gently. He shifted slightly under the sheets.

"Gaara, wake up honey." She shook him a little harder.

"What?" He mumbled irritably, opening his eyes.

"You feel better?"

"Mm..." He replied incoherently, already halfway back to his dream. He heard her sigh heavily. "Why don't you take a shower to wake yourself up?"

"What's the hurry?"

"There isn't one, but I want to see if you're alright."

"I'm fine, now leave me alone."

"Need a drink?"

"No."

"Food?"

"No." He was going to keep saying no until she got the message. Itachi awoke at the commotion and sat up, yawning. Gaara smiled slightly at him.

Temari looked as if she wanted to say something to him; her mouth opened and closed again. She dropped her gaze to the floor and said nothing for a few mere seconds before raising her head and standing up. "Right. Konan and I are heading out for a while to check for any danger."

"See you later." Said Gaara.

Konan turned to both boys on the sofa. "Look after each other, yeah? Don't answer the door to anybody. I'll lock the door and keep the keys with me. If you need to get out for any reason possible, use the window in either the bathroom or in here. Understood?"

They nodded.

"Bye." Called Temari as she stepped out into the long hallway. The door closed and the sound of the lock cracking was heard.

Gaara pulled the blanket from his body and sat up.

Itachi smirked. "Feeling better?"

"Somewhat. Maybe it's because I've not been moving around for a few hours."

"Yeah."

Gaara stood from the sofa and stumbled towards the bathroom. "I need a shower."

"Want me to get you some clean clothes?"

"No, thanks. These should last me."

"They're ripped, bloodstained and they won't keep you warm in this weather, Gaara."

"I'll be fine."

"Borrow my clothes. Konan washed them for me." He said, handing him a pile of clothes.

"Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't be offering you them if I wasn't sure."

Gaara smirked and took the clothes. "Thanks." He walked into the bathroom, shutting then locking the door behind him.

Itachi sighed and gazed out of the window, into that abyss of grey. He wondered if it made him gay; having been robbed of his 'innocence' by Kisame. Itachi didn't find himself looking at guys in a different sort of way or anything, but he was seriously contemplating his sexuality at the moment. Tears threatened to fall from his dull grey orbs, but he held them back. He was confused; not knowing who to turn to or who to ask for help. Gaara would probably be the most reliable person he could open up to. He knew his friend wouldn't laugh at him or spread rumours around. The pair were close. Closer than they even knew.

Itachi exhaled shakily and closed his eyes, thinking over what he would say to Gaara; over and over again in his mind, before settling himself back onto the sofa. Minutes later, Gaara emerged from the bathroom, his crimson hair darkened and wet.

Itachi inhaled slowly and held his breath. "Gaara."

"Yeah?"

"You're my friend right?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"This is awkward for me to ask you this, but..." He paused, unsure of what to say.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you know how Kisame... used to..."

"Yes." Said Gaara quickly.

"Does it make me gay?"

Gaara thought about it. "Well it just depends on how you feel about other guys."

"How did you find out you were bi?"

"Well, remember how I used to be friends with Rock Lee?"
"Yeah."

"I kinda felt like I wanted to be more than friends. We met up one day at the park and... well, he kissed me. I didn't know how to react at first, so I ran off, embarrassed and crying. When I got home, I thought about how the kiss felt and after a few days, I just knew it was right. I'm bi because I also like girls too."

"Ever had a girlfriend?"

He turned slightly pink. "Yes."

"Who was it?"

"This girl I met on a mission."

"Why did you break up?"
"She found out I was a Jinchuuriki and called me a monster. I ended the relationship."

"That's awful. I bet you were heartbroken."
"Not really, I was just pissed off that she could do that to me."

They stayed in silence for a few moments.

"Do you think I'm gay?" Asked Itachi.

"I don't know. It's how you feel inside about guys."

"Hn."

Gaara got up again and went over to the bed. He flopped down on the mattress and covered himself over with the duvet.

"You're sleeping again?"
"I'm tired as hell, Itachi."

"Lazy bastard." He said with a grin.

"You can't say much, baka. I woke up three times last night with you drooling all over me."

"At least I don't talk about sex in my sleep!"

"Sex?" He shuddered, remembering his dream. Itachi knew? Shit. "I'm going to bed." He said quickly.

"Have sexy dreams, Gaara."

"Shut up."

Itachi guessed he must've dozed off. He awoke with a start when the door crashed open, revealing Konan and Temari.

"Itachi, get up, we have to leave right now!"

"Why?" Asked the confused Uchiha, rubbing his eyes.

Konan practically dragged him out of the door without a word. Gaara was already standing in the corridor with Temari.

"Have you got all your things?" Asked Konan

"I didn't bring anything." Replied Itachi, following her down the stairs.

"Thanks for the room." Said Temari to the woman at the reception desk. "But, we must be on our way now."

"I see." The Inn keeper got out a calculator. "You don't have to pay, it was a pleasure to help you out."
"Arigato."

Before the woman could open her mouth, they had already left and were darting through the forest when a familiar blonde jumped out from a tree in front of their path.

Itachi gasped and skidded to a halt. "Deidara!"

"Hey, yeah? I'm on your side!" Explained the Akatsuki member.

"Like I'm going to believe you."

"Pein kicked me out."

"And why was that?"

"Because of my bombs, yeah. He doesn't trust me not to do something ridiculous."

"Stay away from us, you hear? You can burn in the deepest pit of hell for all I care."

"Hn. Suit yourself, un."

Itachi glared and carried on his way with his friends following close behind him.

"Although, I am the only one who knows about Pein's little plan, yeah."

Itachi stopped again. "What are you trying to say?"

"I thought you were leaving, un."

The raven slammed him against a tree. "What plan?" He demanded.

"Let me travel with you and I'll give you every dirty little secret I know, yeah."

He considered it for a moment. Should he trust this guy? It could put his comrades in danger; but something about Deidara's tone of voice made him believe that he was telling the truth. "Fine. Travel with us, but if you mess up or lead us to trouble, then I'll make your death happen way before your time."

"You have my word, yeah."

"Let's go."

"I apologize for pissing you off, un."

"Hn. We have to hurry."

If looks could kill, Deidara would have shrivelled up and died by the deadly glare Gaara was giving him. Of course, Deidara tried to kill him, no wonder he was pissed.

Deidara moulded a small clay bird in his hand and did a weird jutsu sign, that resulted in the bird increasing dramatically in size.

"You can either walk or ride on this."

"I'll walk, thanks." Muttered Gaara.

"Walk then, yeah. Don't come crying to me when the Akatsuki have you again."

Temari Konan and Itachi had already climbed onto the clay animal. Gaara stared at them hard and shot an intense glare at Deidara before sitting next to his sister on it.

"That's what I thought, un."

Gaara said nothing and kept his gaze down, not wanting to draw any more attention to himself. He knew he was acting immature, but how could anybody expect him to be friends with Deidara. Pathetic. Why did he even agree to travelling with the blonde prick? The Akatsuki could have him; he didn't give a flying fuck.

Hey, guys ^^

How are you all?

Just wondering if the story is suddenly getting really crap . I've been suffering with writers block for, lets say a few months? Damn my brain. I think I'm making Gaara act a bit OOC and I'm putting random things in that make no sense at all :O In need of inspiration, damn!

-Note to self: May have to consult Leash about what we did in the cosplay-

My dad keeps inviting people over and blanking me out. DO I HAVE A BLOODY LIFE?!!!!! Okay, now that's over with, I'm going to go back on the Sims 2

Yeah, Gaara had six kids on the sims and he's not even an adult on it yet. Then the kids died and Konan broke up with Pein T^T

Ryan is coming over tonight, WOOT! Maybe I can get some inspiration from him! P: