A/N: Things will be moving faster in the up coming chapters. From here on I don't have any pre written chapters, so I also need to think more about how to write it.. Because of that the updates will be a little slower, but I promise I will update and finish the story! Just to let you know, there will be only a couple more chapters until the last, maybe just 3 more and then I'll round it up and complete it. But the chapters will be longer from here on. Please review so I know someone is reading it, it will help get my motivation up to finish the story! If you don't understand something then just ask and I'll explain in a side note chapter or in an A/N. On with the story...
Chapter 8: What Hurts the Most
((Katsu POV))
In the middle of the room was a big statue formed as two hands reaching up in the air. Katsu was seated ontop of the right middle finger of one of the hands; one knee raised to her chest, the other dangling free in the air. They were all surrounded by a thin fog, concealing their faces, but not their shadows. She wore her Akatsuki attire like all of the rest. Every finger of the statue was occupied by members. Ever since Orochimaru were killed, they had been able to fill all the 10 spots.
Katsu thought back to last night, when she had told Kimi about everything and her plan. She knew Leader would not like the fact that she was pregnant, but she also had a leverage, he couldn't afford to kill her, she knew.
Shifting her eyes towards Kimi, she saw her friend give her a supporting nod through the fog. She would stand by Katsu no matter what, because they had a strong bond. They might be killers, but they still had the basic human emotions.
"Kurohoshi Kohana!"
Katsu turned her face towards Leader, who had just arrived. Kohana. Katsu groaned upon hearing her given name. She hated that name, it was weak, and she had abandoned it they day she had joined Akatsuki. Yet Leader seemed to like using it, to tell her he was superior to her, and that she better not defy him.
"Explain yourself," Leader said forcefully.
Without hesitation, in a strong and confident voice, Katsu threw herself into the explanation of how she had infiltrated Konoha and all that had happened during the year without memories. She told him straight out that she was pregnant, and that no one in Konoha knew this. She explained that she succesfully had retrieved the scrolls and there was no way in hell she was letting the twins in her womb get killed. After she was finished there was a long silence, no one moved or spoke. These news were a shock for some of the other members as well, as she had yet to tell them all about it.
"I'm sorry," Leader said after a while of silence. "I have no other choice than to dispose of you."
Katsu's laughter rang through the room, a smirk playing on her lips. "No Leader," She said in an amused voice. "I'm sorry. Because that won't be possible."
"First of all," she continued. "I have the scrolls and I'm not handing them over until after the twins are born. Second, you need me to keep the most valuable member of this group. Without me Itachi will be a blind useless fool within a year. I'm the onlyone who can help him." She showed no weakness in her voice as she spoke, her tone was dangerously confident. "I'm too valuable for you too just dispose off." She finished.
There was another long silence, she could feel the anger radiating from Leader, but she wasn't afraid, he had no choice in the matter. "You're walking a thin line, Kohana," he said calmly, his pride stopping him from screaming at her in anger. "Be aware that you will be punished for your insolence later." He warned her, before disappearing into thin air.
Katsu sighed as she got up. "Kimi-chan. You did what I asked you to?" She asked as her face turned to face her friend. The room was in complet silence, as no one wanted to speak; some out of shock and some because they were thinking trying to come to terms with the situation.
"Yes, Kuro-chan," Kimi answered without hesitating, making Katsu smile slightly. Kimi might be a petite woman, but she was strong willed and hard-boned, it seemed like few things could faze her. "Your things are packed and ready."
"Thank you, Kimi-chan," Katsu answered gratefully, wondering what she would have done without Kimi there to support her. "Kei-chan. Ita-kun. You guys better get packed in a hurry, you're coming with me. Fishface, you have to some too, seeing as Ita-kun is your partner and you'll most likely have to go on missions while we're away."
"Good with me," Kisame stated rather cheerfully. "As long as there is sake where we are going, I don't care."
"Great," Katsu rolled her eyes. Kisame really was a drunk. "I'll see you all soon enough then" She grinned and then she was gone the same way Leader had left, closely followed by the rest.
(Sasuke POV)
Shino had been able to point them in the right direction and now they were half a day away from Konoha, running at a fast pace. It was starting to get darker. Sasuke knew they had to stop soon and make camp, but he had a feeling that something were wrong and they had to hurry. He had to get her back, no matter what.
"Sasuke," Kakashi caught up with him. "We better make camp, we're all getting tired." Sasuke nodded at his former sensei and lead them all to a halt. They made camp fast and sat down to rest.
He was still surprised at how they still trusted him. When he had killed Orochimaru and returned to the village, they had all been suspicious towards him. It had taken a lot of time to regain the lost trust, but he had managed it after a couple of years.
They sat in complet silence, staring into the fire. No one wanted to speak. Everyone had some kind of memory, or bond towards Katsu. They all had a strong relationship to her.
[Sakura Flashback]
Sakura sat on top of the roof on her apartment, looking up on the starry sky. It was a clear night, the moon was full and lit up the village with a silver glow. She had only been back for a week and already much in her life had changed. Kurohoshi Katsu. The name of the girl who changed everything. Was it good or bad though? She honestly didn't know.
"Haruno-sama."
Sakura turned her head to see the girl of her thoughts standing right there beside her. She hadn't even heard her approach. Katsu was really strong. Was her thought at first.
"What are you doing her Kurohoshi-chan?" She asked her with a tired voice as she turned her head to look at the stars again. They were so peaceful.
"I wanted to talk to you…" Katsu replied honestly and sat down beside her, her gaze on the stars as well.
"Hmm." Sakura murmured softly not looking over at the girl.
"Hinata-san told me about you and your past. About your feelings for Sasuke" Katsu continued carefully in almost a whisper. "She told me some of it, but not the whole story." She paused for a long while. "I respect you Haruno-san."
Sakura turned her head to look at Katsu in surprise. She had never expected to hear those words coming from her. It took her some time to recover. "You know. I thought I loved Sasuke for a long time. When he left my heart broke." She paused for a little moment. "But I grew stronger, I had time to mend my heart. When he returned I went on mission, that lasted many times, for several months and avoided him as much as I could. I was afraid, I was afraid I still would have those feelings I had had as a kid. A week ago, when I saw his arms around you… Kissing you… I saw a smile on his face I had never seen before, I saw him happy." She put every effort into keeping the tears from flowing freely. "I wasn't jealous, I wasn't angry or sad… I was happy, I was happy to see him so happy. I didn't understand that then, but I do now. Yes, we've been through a lot, but our love is nothing more than what a brother and sister would feel for each other."
She could see a small smile form on Katsu's lips. "Thank you Haruno-san."
"Call me Sakura." She told her and gave her a smile and stood up. "Just don't hurt him Katsu-chan." She told her before she disappeared into the darkness.
That night had changed everything between Katsu and Sakura and they had become good friends after that. Both just wanting the best for Sasuke, both loving him in their own way.
[/Sakura Flashback]
"I miss her…" Sakura finally broke the silence.
"I know, Sakura." Sasuke responded softly and kept staring at the flames in front of him.
((Katsu POV))
They had been traveling for a week now, and finally they had arrived to their destination. They were staying in a mansion once owned by Katsu's father, the Hoshikage. The small clan village was destroyed, but the main building stood intact. It was a ghost town now, no one ever came there, the stench of death still lingered in the air.
"We're staying here?" Kisame asked, one eyebrow arched, as he looked around the village. "It's a bloody ghost town!"
"Bloody would be right, but ghosts?" Katsu chuckled. "Are you afraid Fishface?" She gave him a light punch in the shoulder. "This place is deserted, no one comes here anymore, and there is a big training ground in the back yard of the mansion big enough for me to help Ita-kun there."
"Hn." itachi groanded, obviously bored. Katsu was aware of the fact that he didn't like this. More than that, he didn't like that he didn't have a choice in the matter.
"Well, Kuro-chan is right," sighed Keitaro. "At least no one will find us here. It's going to be a long year though..."
"Complain as much as you like, it's not going to help," Katsu shrugged. "Besides, Kei-chan, Kimi-chan is joining us in a week. She's just foing me a favor first." She gave him a small push with her shoulder, teasing him.
She knew without looking that Keitaro was smiling. He was in love with Kimi and had been for a long time, but was to afraid to tell her. This might be their chance to finally get together, if Keitaro summoned up some courage that was.
"Come on Ita-kun, we'll start training right away," she said as she turned to look at him. He looked as if he was deep in though, but she knew better, he usually did that when he didn't want to talk.
"Alright," Keitaro said. "Me and Kisame will get this place back into living condition." He nodded for Kisame to follow him into the mansion.
"I'm no bloody cleaning lady!" Kisame groaned. "Why do I have to do this?" He sounded like a spoiled brat when he complained like that.
"Come on you idiot!" Keitaro just growled in respons to his complaining. He entered the building, while Kisame trailed behind him, sulking, and taking his time.
Katsu lead Itachi to the back of the house where there was a huge open field. Further down there was a forest that seemed especially grown for training.
"You know about my Kurohoshi-no-jutsu, right?" She asked him, not getting a respons she just continued. "You'll be surrounded by complet darkness. I'm going to cut off sound, sight and smell. First we'll go on how good you are at noting touch. Just fight me." She warned him before preforming the hand signed. She winked at him, then they were both surrounded by total darkness.
She had the Black Star Eye, which meant darkness was no hindrance to her. She could see him outlined in the darkness, as if he was surrounded by light. She also had total control of the senses while inside the blackness. She decided when she wanted him to hear, smell, feel or see. It was a special jutsu, only known to a few selected people in the Kurohoshi clan. It was also very straining and advanced.
"Itachi!" She barked. "Stop moving!" Her voice was sharp and final. He was turning around in circle, a human instinct to find light. Katsu also knew he was afraid, he had been relaying on his sharingan for far too long. He probably felt rather defensless right about now, but he listened to her voice and calmed down.
"Turn off the Sharingan." She ordered when he calmed down, she could still see his red eyes. "It won't help you here. Let your instinct guide you and feel for a touch or breeze to predict my movements." She instructed him and he did what he was told. He might have a lot of pride and be stubborn as hell, but he was far from stupid.
"Fight me!" She growled as she started moving. To be honest, in this situation she could have killed him at least 20 different ways, he didn't have many openings, but she was in total control of the situation.
She started with just approaching him, when he felt her and moved towards her she would withdraw, then to it all over again. He needed to get control over his body before they actually started fighting. After doing that for a couple of minutes she decided it was time to challenge him a little.
She clenched her first and aimed for his stomach. He wouldn't be able to dodge it, not in his current state, but that wasn't what she was going for. She wanted to see if he could block it. He had expected the attack and she felt his hand clench over hers, inches away from his bosy. "Too easy," he murmured as she pushed herself away from him, twisting her hand out of his grip.
"Just evaluating how good you are without your precious Sharingan," She grinned, although he couldn't see it. "I had at least 8 different openings to take you down, even when you stopped my attack. Don't underestimate me Itachi."
They continued the fighting until it became dark outside, only then was she satisfied with his progress. He was a fast learner, she had to give him that, but he was still far from able to protect himself without his eyes.
"God..." Katsu groaned as she entered the living room; Kisame lay spread out on the floor unconcious, bottles of sake strewn around him. Keitaro had obviously allready gone to bed.
"Kohana," Itachi turned to face her. He had removed his Akatsuki cloack and was only wearing pants and a tight t-shirt. His black hair fell into his face, soaked with sweat. He looked good when he was exhausted, sexy even.
"Don't call me that," She told him, her voice slightly tinted with annoyance. She really hated that name.
"Then you want me to call you Katsu?" He walked over to her, putting a hand under her chin, pushing her head up to look at him. He had a look that she hadn't seen in a long time, a look he gave her the first time he said he loved her. Guilt swelled up inside of her upon seeing it.
"Yeah," She answered reluctantly, somehow feeling she had betrayed him. She tried to look away, but he was too strong and wouldn't let her. Once she had had such strong feelings towards him, now she didn't know anymore. She loved him yes, but she also felt love towards his little brother. How could she love two men at the same time? It wasn't right, she felt as if she was betraying both of them.
"Itachi-" She started to whispered but was stopped as his lips softly covered her own. It wasn't a rough kiss, like the ones she was used to getting from him, but a soft kiss of love and compassion.
His hands slipped around her waist as he pulled her closer, his tongue tracing her lower lip seaking entrance. She willingly opened her mouth to let him enter. She was almost in a trance, her body wouldn't move, she couldn't think, she just felt weak in his arms. How did he manage to make her feel this way?
When they broke the kiss they just stood there staring at each other. To be honest, she had never seen this side of him before. It made her wonder. Maybe she had made the right decision, maybe it was best to stay with him.
"I've lost a part of your heart," he said calmly, not taking his eyes off her. "I know that. But, I need you. I need you to stay with me. You're everything I have left, I should never have let you go to Konoha..." The sadness in his voice came as a shock, he had rendered her speechless.
What was she supposed to say? She was carrying Sasuke's children, but she still loved Itachi. A part of her heart did also belong to Sasuke. Her hands moved to touch his face gently. "I'm not going anywhere," she finally said, moving her hands behind his neck she pulled him down into another kiss.
(Sasuke POV)
"We're leaving," Sasuke ordered everyone. It was dawn and they had a long way still to go. He had a feeling of dread inside him, that it was allready to late, but he couldn't give up. Just like his friends had never given up when coming to get him after he had sought out Orochimaru.
They were off in a hurry again. Sasuke took a moment to study his former sensei. Kakashi looked distraught, a feeling he never had seen him show before. He understood his feelings though. Kakashi and Katsu had been close, he knew Katsu was important to the older man. But, what he was thinking right about now, Sasuke couldn't even guess. It must be like losing a child, a feeling he could not yet understand.
Concentrating back on where he was running he felt like sighing. It would take them at least 3 weeks to find Katsu. He still had trouble controlling the turmoil of emotions inside him. Was this how Sakura and Naruto had felt when he left Konoha? If so, he couldn't understand how they got the strenght to continue trying to get him back.
((Katsu POV))
Itachi had practically been ignoring her all week, deep in his own thoughts to even notice her. Morning and night they would train together, but when they weren't training he was no where to be found. A bump had started forming on her usually flat stomach, the proff of her betrayel so knew seeing her stomach grow was painful for Itachi, she was everything to him. That only made her feel worse.
She felt immensly guilty, and she wanted to comfort him, say something that would make him feel better. But what could she say? There wasn't any words created that would lessen his pain.
"Kuro-chan," Keitaro approached her as she entered the house after a training session with Itachi. "Let me restore your energy." She was breathing heavily from the fight, she was using more and more chakra as he got better at the fighting and it was taking its toll on her.
"Don't touch me," she warned him coldly, her eyes gleaming dangerously in the light.
She was still pumped up from the fighting and severly agitated. Itachi's pain and the pregnancy only made her worse. Keitaro knew well enough to back off when she was like this.
"Where is Itachi?" He asked her carefully, backing away from her as she made her way past him.
"How the hell should I know?" She sneered and sat down at the table, crossing her arms in front of her.
"Here you go, Kuro-chan." Kisame grinned as he pushed a bottle of sake her way. She took the bottle without thinking and gulped it all down before slamming it back on the table.
"Kuro-chan. Why did you do that?" Keitaro sighed as he approached her still figure. She had calmed down a little. "You need to be careful. The twins..." He touched her shoulder and slowly extracted the alcohol from her system. It was easy enough for him, he done it many times before. Katsu had always been a drinker, she could even compete with Kisame from a young age.
Katsu didn't move as she felt Keitaro remove the alcohol and restore her lost energy in the process. She was thinking, collecting her thoughts, trying to make sense of her feelings. The whole situation was taking a mental strain on her, being there, being away from Sasuke. She knew she would never experience the happiness of a life with Sasuke again. It was over, yet she couldn't stop loving him.