This update is dedicated to PrincessHyuuga01 who inspired me to stick with this story! :D

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-o0o-

Freedom was almost palpable as Neji walked down the stairs in the lecture hall. Summer courses were finally over and he had a month until classes resumed for the fall semester. He understood that the freedom was only temporary, but right now, he wouldn't dwell on that. Turning in his exam to his professor made him feel as if the weight on his shoulders had lessened a few pounds.

Neji walked out of the double doors and into the courtyard. Shikamaru Nara was propped up against his backpack, gazing at the clouds per usual. He approached the Nara and purposely blocked out his view.

Shikamaru's lips curved as he glanced up at him. "Took you long enough. I've been waiting for half an hour."

"Unlike you," Neji smirked. "I actually took the time to read over my answers before turning my test in."

Shrugging, the Nara stood up and slung his book bag over one shoulder. The two fell into to step and headed to the student parking lot. It was the end of July, which meant that he had five months before he had to move back to the Hyuga Compound. His uncle didn't mention it but it was obvious that he would have to move back in order to be closer to Hinata.

It was his fate. He was born to protect the Main family and marry a woman and have kids who would also share his fate. He had known that since birth, but now he had second thoughts. There was no denying that he was gay. He couldn't even get it up when he had the chance to sleep with a woman. Try as he might, he just couldn't make it work. Whoever his uncle forced him to marry was going to be in for a rude awakening.

Friday night while he and Itachi were having sex, he entertained the thought of it developing into something more than just a clandestine tryst. Although the thought was absurd, he further tortured himself with fevered speculation on how they could make things work. There were so many reasons why a serious relationship with Itachi would never happen. Besides the fact that his uncle would be ballistic if he ever found out, he always had to factor in the fact that there was still so much that he did not know about Itachi. Lately, his thoughts had been all over the place. One moment he was content with the way things were and the next he would feel like he was being used. Which was strange because they were openly using each other for sex.

"Who's the lucky guy?"

Neji's brow furrowed at the question. "Why would you assume it was a guy?" He paused. "Not saying that it was a girl...or anyone for that matter."

Seeing Neji floundering for a response was a new sight for Shikamaru and it only confirmed his suspicions. They finally made it to Neji's car and got in. Once they were out of the parking lot, he asked again.

"So," Shikamaru drawled. "Who's the lucky...human?"

When he didn't respond, Shikamaru pressed on. "Animal?" He joked.

Immediately, Neji thought about his initial misunderstanding of the term 'bears' and he scoffed quietly. "You're awfully persistent today. I thought the affairs of others were far too troublesome for you."

"Normally, I would consider it a drag, but since it's you, I'll show a little interest."

"I'm flattered." Neji deadpanned.

Shrugging, Shikamaru reached in his book bag and pulled out a new pack of cigarettes. The sound of his palm tapping the pack drew Neji's attention almost instantly.

"Nara," He warned. "Not in my car."

Shikamaru smiled and tossed the pack back into his book sack. "Just making sure you weren't daydreaming again. On the way to the car you were zoned out the entire time. "

"Will you be staying in the city or heading home for the break?"

Noticing the subject change for what it was, he decided to drop it. He didn't really feel like dealing with a pissed off Hyuga today, they could be such a drag when they were upset.

Shikamaru looked out of the tinted windows; the sidewalks were bustling during the rush hour. Personally, he hated living in the inner city; it was overcrowded and the air stank. Even though home for him was technically apart of Konoha, the countryside's atmosphere was completely different. He would rather put up with his mother's nagging than spend another day breathing in the polluted city air.

"Yeah, I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Temari will be staying for a week." Shikamaru muttered.

"Your girlfriend will be staying with you and your family for a week? I didn't know you guys was that serious?"

"We're probably gonna get married. One day." The Nara yawned. "Don't feel like bothering with anyone else."

Neji pursed his lips at the man's lackadaisical confession. Glancing over at the passenger's side he could see that Shikamaru had already dosed off. He was surprised that he stayed awake that long. His mind was still trying to process the fact that Shikamaru had casually admitted - in a very discreet way - that he was in love with his girlfriend. They had been dating for only three months. How could he be so sure that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her? The divorce rate was steadily increasing on a yearly basis; it was obvious why. People seemed to just jump headfirst into -

Wait. Shikamaru did not fall under the 'foolishly in love' category. He was lethargic and unmotivated in all aspects of his life. Temari was the first girl; the only girl that he had shown any interest, what was so special about her?

"Who?" Shikamaru stretched in his seat. "What's so special about who?"

Apparently he had asked the question out loud. Nice going! He mentally scolded himself. Deciding to just man up, he reworded the question. "How did you know that Temari was the...one?"

Shikamaru slid him a glance out the corner of his eye and quirked his lips. "Temari is a troublesome woman. She nags almost as much as my mother. Her family scares the crap out of me, especially her younger brother, geesh! Her cooking isn't the best and she hogs all the covers at night."

He paused and Neji seriously started to doubt that his friend was making the right choice with the woman. Everything that he listed was just awful.

Shikamaru turned his head and gazed at the clouds through the tinted windows. "But despite all of that. She's worth every bit of the trouble."

Neji was rendered speechless when he parallel parked at the front of Shikamaru and Temari's shared flat. It didn't make any sense to him. Then he reminded himself that it didn't have to make sense to him. He didn't have to worry about any of that. Still...

"Listen," The Nara said he turned to face Neji. "It's different for everybody. For me, it was simple; the fact that I even bothered to ask her out was proof enough for me. But for you - just using you as an example relax. For you, I'd say it'll be instant, but you're stubborn so it'll take you ages to admit to yourself and a millennium to admit it to the person. So ask yourself; can you imagine a world without them?"

Neji gave his friend a once over, looking at him as if he was some sort of lunatic. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because you needed to know." He glanced at his watch. "I gotta go. Thanks for the ride."

After Shikamaru was out of the car, Neji remained parked. He didn't know how long he sat there staring at the empty passenger's seat before he eventually headed home.

-o0o-

Later that evening, Itachi actually knocked on the front door instead of breaking in. Neji was in the middle of meditating - well trying to meditate - his mind and body were unbalanced. That was the only rational way to explain his mood swings of late. He decided to just chalk his earlier slip up to exhaustion and stress. Although, he couldn't really clear his mind because it was filled with Itachi and only Itachi. To make matters worse - or better depending on how you looked at it - the object of his obsession had fucked him into his mattress. Literally.

Itachi walked through the door like he was on a mission; they exchanged a few pleasantries then the screwing commenced. The feeling of being used came back but he shoved the feeling aside. He reminded himself that it was what he wanted, what he asked for. Even though he wouldn't mind it if they talked more or did other things besides have sex.

Neji's own indecisiveness was starting to grate on his nerves along with a few other things. Being tied to his headboard on more than one occasion had been a fun experience, he wouldn't deny that. He would even admit to being immensely turned on by the whole, "I want you, but I'm bad for you" thing. Yeah, dangerous men turned him on. It was a character trait; just a slight flaw in his personality. It couldn't be helped.

Nevertheless, there were still a lot of things that he would not allow himself to even think about doing. No matter how many times he had shamelessly surrendered to Itachi he was still a prideful man.

That was exactly why he was currently staring daggers at the raven. "Is sex with me really that dull, Itachi?"

Itachi was taken aback by the question. "No. Of course not. Why do you ask?"

"You're acting as if we're an old married couple on the brink of divorce and the shrink suggested we 'spice up' our sex lives!" Neji pointed to the flogger the man was holding. "What's the point of spanking me? I'm not a child!"

"Neji, you have it all wrong." He reasoned. "This tool is used for pleasure."

"Pleasure for whom? You or me?"

"Both of us."

"Both of us? I seriously doubt that!"

Neji got out of bed and started to put his clothes back on. He had enough experiences with being 'spanked' in his youth and there was no fucking way he was going to let it happen now.

"And why do you always have to call the shots?" Neji asked.

"Because I'm the dominant in our relationship," Itachi continued, oblivious to the way the man was now looking at him. "I am older than you, stronger than you and more experienced than you." He stated nonchalantly.

Unlike the night in the alley, Neji was not fascinated in the least by Itachi's condescension. Then he frowned; Itachi's words actually caused him physical discomfort. His mind supplied him with the actual emotion - it was hurt. He was actually...hurt by something that someone as insignificant as a casual lover said to him.

"Hn." Neji crossed his arms. He was nobody's doormat. "We both agreed that it wasn't about control, but it has been like that every single time we've had sex. You're always the one controlling when and how we fuck. Just because I willingly bottom doesn't mean that you have to control everything!"

"I don't think you understand your role as the submissive, Neji. You don't really have a say in how or when we have sex." He spoke calmly, as if he were talking to a child. "It was as I stated earlier; I am the dominant, you are the submissive.

Neji was livid and oddly enough hurt as well. But he wasn't used to the feeling. Anger was what felt natural to him; so he would go with that. He would allow his anger to outweigh everything else.

"Well, I think we are at the end of our agreement, Itachi! I can't put up with your domineering behavior anymore! I'll just find somebody else to screw!"

"Okay." Itachi started to gather his things and got dressed.

Okay? The Hyuga scowled at the cool response. Was it truly that easy for him? To just walk away from everything as if it meant nothing? No, it was only sex. It was what Neji wanted. Casual sex with no strings attached. Those were his own words, but now...now things felt different.

Once Itachi was dressed, and his 'tools' were back in his bag, he glanced at Neji but said nothing. A few heartbeats later, he walked out of the bedroom.

The front door slammed shut; the sound echoed throughout the quiet apartment. Instinctively, Neji tightened his arms across his chest to keep himself together.

-o0o-

Neji wished that he owned a time machine; hell even a tricked out Delorean would suffice. Anything that allowed him to turn back the hands of time because he had made a huge mistake. It was all too good to be true. There was no such thing as 'no strings attached' during sex. Especially with a person that you were strongly attracted to.

Picture a world where Itachi Uchiha did not exist.

"Damn you, Shikamaru." Neji mumbled before taking another swig of sake.

Inebriation numbed the senses; it was what he needed now. He grimaced at the taste, and his insides burned but it was a distraction from the real pain. He slammed his glass down on the granite counter top; the sound seemed to echo hollowly throughout his empty apartment.

How long he stood there, arms tightly wrapped around his torso after Itachi left, he didn't know, but the first clear thought he had was unspeakable in its simplicity; he had feelings for Itachi. There was more behind the realization. Such as the fact that the feelings were more than just sexual attraction. Even worse, he had felt that way since the first time they had sex.

Neji scoffed at his earlier actions. To think that he allowed himself to behave like some lovesick girl. Yelling that he would find someone else to screw; he knew it for a lie. He was ruined for anything and anyone else.

"Fuck that!" Neji growled.

He stormed out of the kitchen; the sake caused him to sway a little. The entire apartment was dark, the moonlight seeping through the opened blinds were his only source of light. Like a madman he burst through his bedroom and ripped the sheets off of his bed. They were contaminated with the scent of him. The matching beige pillow cases came next. Gathering the fabric in his arms he headed to the small laundry room and dumped the sheets in the washer. It wasn't enough he could still smell Itachi. It was the awareness of him - his smell, shampoo and nice cologne, all things that were Itachi were cloaking him. And it was suffocating.

I'll just find somebody else to screw!

At that instance, Itachi saw red. He had to leave before he lashed out at Neji. He closed his eyes against the overpowering desire to go back to the Hyuga's apartment, to hurt and mark him.

Going home wasn't an option; Itachi wasn't stable enough at that moment to put up any facades. The soft purring of the engine was soothing but it wasn't enough. He needed to kill - no, no he needed a moment to clear the insanity whirling in his mind. He had been driving around the city for what felt like hours, he wasn't really sure. Everything around him went by in a blur.

His moral conscious was pleading with him to slow down and think rationally. But the only thing he could think about was some other person with their filthy hands on what was his. Itachi took a deep breath to clear his mind but the jealousy grew. Neji is mine, his mind seethed. The dark rightness of it finding a home deep in his body. His breath hissed out from him and he dragged in another equally ragged breath of air. Air that was filled with the scent of Neji.

They made a deal; there was no turning back. Not until Itachi decided that they were done. Tightly he gripped the steering wheel hard enough for his knuckles to turn white. In the back of his mind he knew that Neji had a right to be upset with him; he had gone too far by bringing the flogger.

Old habits die hard. Yet, there was no excuse for him to pressure Neji into a sadomasochistic relationship. A year had passed since he participated in the scene and there was a reason why he stopped. When he was younger he had convinced himself that the only way for him to enjoy sex was by inflicting some sort of pain on his partner. Yes, it was a warped way of thinking, but it was what he was taught. However, that didn't mean it was right. Itachi understood that.

Though, he honestly didn't feel the need to do that with Neji. The only reason why he continued to control the man was because he thought that maybe it could keep his own emotions reigned in. Itachi was insatiable when it came to Neji. Every single time that he touched, kissed or fucked Neji it was as if he were experiencing him for the first time all over again.

Neji had him utterly and unequivocally fucked up if he thought he was going to sit back and allow somebody else to have him.

Decision made he, he took a sharp right and headed in the direction of Neji's complex.

-o0o-

His earlier manners forgotten, Itachi didn't bother knocking on the door. It was dark and eerily quiet when he entered the condo. In a matter of seconds his mind had already conjured up countless scenarios of Neji out on the town with some other man.

What in the hell is wrong with me?

Shaking his head, he turned around to leave. He opened the front door, the light from the hallway briefly illuminated the room. That was the exact moment Neji made his presence known. Relief flooded him when he turned around to see the man hurtling down the hall at him like a freight train. Then he saw the blind fury in those pale orbs and he quickly closed the door shut and moved out of the way.

"You fucking asshole!" Neji growled. The force of his punch put a huge crack in the wooden door. He blinked rapidly trying to focus his eyes in the dark, but he couldn't even sense Itachi around. The fact that he was drunk didn't help much. Faintly, he heard a click and his head snapped immediately to the sound. Itachi was on the other side of the living room, still standing by the floor lamp he'd just turned on.

"Neji," Itachi took a cautious step forward. "I came to talk."

In answer to that, Neji rushed him head on. Their shared blows were deadly accurate and delivered in absolute silence. For some strange reason, drunk Neji was just as acute as sober Neji. Minutes passed as the two continued to wrestle in silence. Itachi didn't bother asking what the problem was. He could see it clearly now that they were face to face.

He had hurt Neji. The exact thing that he was trying to prevent.

For both of their sakes, he finally backed off and held up his hands in surrender. Neji was still pissed off, but nodded his head at the white flag. Slowly, he staggered to the couch and sat down. His eyes stayed on Itachi the entire time.

"Why are you here, Uchiha?" He spat the last name as if it put a bad taste in his mouth. And maybe it did.

Itachi took a seat on the couch as well, he made sure to put enough space between them. Now that his blood was allowed to cool, the blow to his face was starting to throb. He hoped that the neighbors hadn't called the authorities. The last thing he needed was a domestic abuse charge on his record.

"As I stated earlier I came here to talk." He stated coolly as if they hadn't just finished fighting.

Neji's expression turned haughty, his Hyuga pride shining through his stiff posture. "What is there to discuss? I meant what I said things between us are over."

Itachi ignored that completely, his mind was already made up on the matter. "I apologize for bringing the flogger, I should have talked it through with you first."

"It's not just about the bloody flogger, Itachi!" Neji yelled. "It's about the fact that you are under the impression that I am beneath you! And I'm not!"

"I don't think that, Neji." Itachi frowned in confusion. How did the man even draw that conclusion?

"Oh? Oh really?!" Neji sputtered from drunken belligerency. "What about all of that talk about...about me being the submissive?! Huh? You're stronger than me and shit like that!"

"I was only stating facts, Neji. Every relationship has a dominant and submissive role-"

Neji rudely cut him off with a loud snort. "If this is what you came to talk about you can leave because I've had enough of the whole: I'm more experienced so you have to do what I say bullshit! This wasn't supposed to be like this."

"How do you want things to be, Neji?"

"Why do you even care?"

Because I'm not ready to let you go. "Because, I just do."

Itachi scooted closer to him and Neji had every intention of pushing him away until Itachi's hand touched his face. The acceleration of his heart-rate had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with what his body really wanted.

He looked away as if the outside world held his attention, but the raven wasn't fooled. With a gentle finger he reoriented Neji's face, holding the gaze that the man didn't want to give him, stealing the passion from his eyes that only magnified the spark. There was no emotion on Itachi's face, only the hot intensity of his gaze that they both knew was the start of the inferno to come.

Both of Itachi's hands were buried in his hair as they shared an equally fierce kiss. Unfortunately, the kiss didn't last long.

Neji pulled back, pale eyes widening before he abruptly stood up and headed to his bedroom. He had overdone it with the sake and the fighting; it was all starting to catch up to him. Barely making it to his bathroom, he rushed to the toilet and hurled into it. The entire situation was embarrassing; to make matters worse Itachi came into the bathroom as well and held his hair for him.

Once the contents of his stomach were emptied and the dry heaving was over, he flushed the toilet and sat back. At that moment Neji wanted the floor of his bathroom to open up and swallow him into oblivion.

"Seems like you had a little to much to drink." Itachi stated with amusement in his voice.

Neji would have scowled, but it was useless. The deed was done - he had made a fool of himself. Ignoring the raven, he stood up and walked over to the sink to brush his teeth. He hadn't been that drunk in - well he couldn't recall ever being that drunk.

Once he felt as if his mouth was clean enough, he gathered the last amount of his dignity and looked at Itachi. "You should leave. As you can clearly see, I'm not 'fucking' material at the moment." He spat bitterly.

Itachi shrugged, taking the few steps to close the distance, he reached for the hem of Neji's shirt and lifted over his head. When Neji opened his mouth to protest he kissed him on the forehead. "Lose the pride for once." He sighed. "You drunk too much and threw up; it's perfectly natural, Neji."

He continued to undress the dumbfounded man. Once Neji was standing there in only his boxers, Itachi gathered his clothes and tossed them in the hamper.

"Do you need me to start the shower for you?" He asked. "Or maybe you prefer a bath."

"No, a shower is fine. I can take it from here. Um...thanks." Neji didn't mean for it to sound like a question.

"Hn. Okay."

"Will..." Neji bit his lip, he was unsure about asking the question. It was what he wanted, but he didn't want to come off as needy or anything like that. Despite his new found feelings for Itachi, that didn't meant that the Uchiha had to be aware of them.

As if reading his mind, Itachi answered the question. "I'm not leaving."

Hidan didn't pity the non-believers.

They were doomed to a life of boredom and redundancy all because they didn't believe. He looked at the people he passed on the street; they were all probably stuck working a 9-5 for some prick that they hated. Then at the end of the day went home to TV dinners and vanilla sex. Unlike other deities, Jashin encouraged his followers to indulge in their carnal desires. Jashin was understanding of their humanity, their weakness of the flesh. Being the merciful god that he was he did not forsake them for giving in to pleasure.

It was because of his hedonistic views that he willing joined the Akatsuki. Unlike the other members, he knew that Madara was the one who was really pulling the strings. Though, he didn't care who was in charge as long as the jobs kept rolling in and he could appease his god. He saw it as killing two birds with one stone.

Looking up, he realized that he had made it to his destination. The lobby of the hotel was too crowded for his taste. He preferred a more low profile base of operations, but it would have to do.

At the front desk sat a strawberry blonde woman, she was smiling so hard that it looked painful.

"Welcome to the Imperial Grand Hotel! Do you have a reservation?"

"I need a room for a week." Hidan looked around the elegant hotel and noted that there were four poorly concealed security cameras in the lobby. Later on he would need to replace the footage on the floor he would be staying on.

"I apologize sir; all of our rooms are booked until next week." The overly enthusiastic receptionist informed him.

"Look," He glanced at her name tag. "Yuki, I know for a fact that the presidential suite is vacant."

Yuki's smile faltered. "Yes, but that room is six grand a night."

Hidan pulled out several stacks of cash from his duffle bag and tossed it on the counter. He detested the way her professionalism was abandoned at the sight of the money. No longer was she giving him that phony smile, she was now eyeing him with obvious interest.

Yuki twirled a red curl around a manicured finger. "Could I have your name, sir?"

"Jashin."

"Surname?"

"Jashin." He said crisply.

The woman looked confused, but didn't question him any further. "Give me one moment."

Hidan watched her saunter off and for a fleeting moment he contemplated killing her after her shift ended. People like her really irked him. Well, he supposed it couldn't be helped; she did live in Konoha.

"Here is your room key, Mr. Jashin Jashin!" Her voice lowered to a sultry whisper. "And if you need anything please ask for Yuki!"

He took a moment to study the offered room key, eyeing it and her until the woman saw something in his expression that made her take a step back. Smiling, he reached over the desk and snatched the room key. Apparently she wasn't as stupid as she looked.

The room was decent enough. For six grand a night it could have been better. Hidan tossed his two duffle bags on the bed and unpacked. News of the hiatus had really pissed him off. For fuck's sake, they killed for a living and there was always people to be killed. It was Pein's doing; the man was growing soft or maybe he was just unmotivated. Hanzo was out, Amegakure was now in Pein and Konan's full control so they were now content.

Hidan thought that was incredibly selfish. Times like these he was glad that Madara was the twisted fuck that he was.

His violet eyes lit with sadistic glee and a feral grin spread across his face as he thought about his upcoming plans for a certain Hyuga.

"The Hyuga bloodline has survived this long because of a mandate that is bestowed upon the first born..."

Madara yawned dramatically. "Spare me the history lesson, Hiashi. Just get on with it."

"It's my brother, Hizashi." Hiashi frowned in loathing. "He never really agreed with the laws of our clan, but I never thought he would go this far. To think that he would have the audacity to go against me! It is my birthright!" He slammed his fist on the oak desk.

It was a comical sight; seeing the clan head throwing a tantrum over such a trivial thing. Yet, it still wasn't as entertaining as Madara had hoped. When the Hyuga contacted him he was sure that it would be a cure for his boredom not the exact opposite.

"You're right, Hiashi. It is your birthright. So what are you going to do to secure your position?" Maybe he just needed to give him a push in the right direction.

"I'll let the council handle him. The law is absolute!" Hiashi argued. The position of clan head was his and his alone. No one, not even his own flesh and blood could get in the way of that.

Okay, so maybe he would need more than a push. Madara thought.

"How many followers does he have? How long have they been meeting in secrecy?" Madara asked.

"My sources tell me that the Branch has given their full support. They have been conspiring against me for weeks now." Hiashi answered bitterly. "They have always been loyal to Hizashi."

Bingo!

A sympathetic smile flashed across Madara's face and he stood up from his chair. "Hiashi, my friend, you must act now." He paced in front of the large desk. "You cannot depend on the senile old fools in the council any longer; you have to do what is best for your clan. As you stated earlier, Hizashi never agreed with the laws of your clan. You mustn't allow such a deviant to sway your people."

"What do you suppose I do?" Hiashi genuinely asked. "Murder is out of the question. Surely, the branch members will be even more inspired to revolt if they knew that I had him killed."

"What if it there was a guarantee that no traces would lead to you?"

Hiashi looked scandalized. "He's my twin brother. Regardless of how much we despise each other, I can't have him murdered."

"You call yourself the leader of your people?!" Madara was outraged. "You sit here and whine about how it's your birthright, but you now you shrink from your responsibilities as clan head. There is a traitor in your midst! A traitor that just so happens to be your own brother which should make the betrayal even more unbearable."

It was working; he could see the Hyuga's resolve slowly crumbling. One more push should do the trick.

Madara walked around the stunned man's desk and leaned over until their shoulders were brushing. "What about your daughters? What do you think will happen to them if you wait too long to act?"

He straightened up and looked down at the seated man in anticipation. Madara loved those calm little moments before the storm. It reminded of Mozart. Nothing was more enjoyable than destroying bonds; especially the bonds of family. However, the Hyuga twins had been at each other's throats since they were in the womb. Of course, it was the Hyuga clan's own fault that the brothers naturally hated each other. All of that talk about fate and birthrights was their own undoing.

How many times had they looked down on the Uchiha? How many times had they mocked and belittled them? When the time came, Madara would kill them all. It was a death he imagined every waking moment. Akin to a fantasy of a woman he desired but never taken - he would close his eyes and imagine killing every last one of them. He didn't care if he himself did it directly or someone else carried it out...so long as it was done.

"It would have to look like an accident..." Hiashi said quietly.

"But of course. Although, we would need to discuss payment beforehand."

"Just name your price. I can pay in cash, no checks."

"Oh Hiashi," Madara smiled. "I don't want your money."

Your suffering will be payment enough.

"My dear Saki, do you like Mozart?"

When he didn't receive a response, Madara turned around and faced the woman in question. The black hood was gone, but her mouth was still covered with a white cloth. Calmly, he removed the covering and leaned in closer so he could hear her better. Saki's voice was raspy probably due to dehydration; Obito could be spiteful when he was upset.

"W- why?" Was the broken question that she asked. Her pale eyes were swollen and red; the woman's lips were chapped as well. "W-why?"

Ignoring her question, Madara continued. "Currently, we are listening to Mozart's overture to Don Giovanni. I think it is my favorite piece by the composer." He paused and gave the woman a look of disdain. "Though I am not surprised that a low born such as you would not appreciate the arts."

"Why?" Saki asked again. "Why did Hiashi-sama do it?"

Madara pulled out a pocket knife and cut the woman's binds. "I already told you the story once. Did I not make myself clear? Hiashi does not care about you or any other branch members. He proved that by having his own brother murdered and giving you up so easily." He walked over to the mini bar and poured a glass of water.

"Why me? Why did you want me?"

Again, Madara ignored her question. He handed her the glass of water and she gratefully accepted it. "Obito will show you to your room. You can wash up and change into something more appropriate. Excuse me."

Madara left the parlor and went upstairs in search of the man. Time was of the essence, so he didn't have the patience to put up with a vexatious woman and a temperamental brat. Hiashi was right where he wanted him and now was the time to strike. Eleven years ago, he chose the daughter of a random branch member as payment. Convincing, Hiashi that he wanted her to fulfill his carnal desires had been easy enough.

However, Madara didn't really care for women or men. Or people for that matter. Not anymore, none of that mattered to him now.

No, the woman would only serve to assist him in bringing down the Hyuga. Simply exposing the man's treachery was far too dull for his tastes. Also, there was the issue with Itachi. Madara had been shocked when the boy had the audacity to kick him out. It was obvious that his control over him was slipping; he couldn't let that happen.

Gritting his teeth, Madara pounded on Obito's door. When the door was opened the older man stepped in and closed the door behind him. He looked at Obito and narrowed his eyes.

"Do you not realize how close we are? And here you are sulking like a little girl!"

Obito squared his shoulders defiantly. "How close you are?" He growled. "All of this is getting old, Madara! You said that we would change Konoha! The wretched city that killed Rin! But the only thing that we've done so far was toy with people's lives! You're just demented; you don't give a damn about changing the world! You're just bitter because Hashirama-

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT NAME!"

Obito held the right side of his face with his hand. The blow was so powerful that his ears were ringing and his face was throbbing in pain. His eyes were downcast when he spoke again. "I'm sorry."

"You know how I feel about that...that cretin. Never mention him in my presence again." Madara grabbed him by the shoulders. "I'm sorry for hitting you, Obito. You know how much you mean to me. You're like a son to me." Gently, he touched the bruise on the boy's face. "Revenge is a dish best served cold, you know that. Go put some ice on your face, once you're done come see me. We have plans to make and lives to ruin."

Shaking his head, Obito took a step back. "I don't want to ruin anymore innocent lives, Madara. Fugaku and Mikoto were innocent yet you made me kill them."

"Are you still whining about that?" Madara drawled. "And you couldn't even do that right! Shisui saw you and almost ratted you out to Itachi! Then I would have never been able to control him."

"It doesn't matter. It's obvious that he no longer fears you." Obito laughed. "I actually think he may be strong enough to kill you now!"

Madara laughed as well. "Then I'll just have to kill him first."