Happy New Years!
.
-o0o-
Everyone had a blind spot, even Orochimaru and they were going to exploit that flaw. Kakashi's contact, Yamato had discovered the security defect during a recon mission with Jiraiya. By plane, Otogakure was three hours from Konogakure. Obviously flying into the country was out of the question. Driving was also not an option due to border patrol. They had concluded that a more traditional route would be the best plan of action.
Itachi crouched low to the ground, staying hidden for a moment and examining everything around him. Closing his eyes, he listened intently, gun out and ready. The snap of a twig, a rustle of an animal, the steps of a man as he tried to approach undetected. Nothing. The closer they made it to the border of Sound the more desolate things were.
Shikkotsu Forest was so dense that it shut out all but the natural sounds of the forest itself. Still, they hadn't sensed any signs of life since they entered the forest at noon.
"We can set up camp here." Kakashi removed his backpack and stretched. "I'd been hoping you would've requested that we stop to rest hours ago. I'm surprised of your endurance in these woods seeing that your group prefers to travel in style."
Removing his pack as well, Itachi began to set up the tent. Two days with Kakashi was enough to drive anyone insane. When the man wasn't prying into his personal life or blabbering about his own, he had his nose stuck in a book. Icha Icha Paradise was never that entertaining. Shisui had given him a copy as a prank for his 12th birthday and he didn't find it funny at all.
Though, he would admit that he'd taken a liking to the man. How? Itachi had no clue; Kakashi just had a way of growing on people. Also, he knew that he wasn't really reading the book; he was still on the same page from yesterday.
"You sound bitter," Itachi said as they both sat up the tent. "Does ANBU not pay enough?" He joked but his face remained impassive.
Kakashi chuckled. "Don't get me wrong the black ops pay handsomely." He regarded the raven. "Can I ask you a serious question?"
"I doubt that me giving my consent really matters. Do as you please."
But that didn't mean that he was entitled to give him an answer. He could practically read Itachi's mind. Looking at Itachi sometimes reminded him of his younger self. When Jiraiya told him about the Uchiha, he had been skeptical at first. However now, there was no denying the parallels between them. Especially since they had one major thing in common.
Standing up he tested the sturdiness of the tent. "Your caution concerning ANBU is justified, I'll admit. But you would put your trust in an organization like the Akatsuki?" The topic had been bugging him ever since they met. Kakashi knew that Konoha wasn't completely innocent, but the Akatsuki was ruthless.
"Why should I automatically put my faith in Konoha?" Itachi asked. "Because you are the 'good' guys?"
"Well we sure as hell aren't the bad guys."
"Hn." Itachi stood up as well, picked up his backpack and went into the tent. It was the same conversation Jiraiya tried to have with when he was invited to join ANBU. The invitation was ten years too late. Besides, he didn't want to think about the past. Of course, the Akatsuki wasn't a band of monks; they were cold blooded killers. But among them he found people that actually cared about him.
Kisame and Sasori were there after the Danzo assignment. They took care of him- in their own way- when he couldn't walk for weeks. It had been difficult trying to recuperate and convince Sasuke's school that they weren't living alone when in actuality they were.
Once he was fully recovered, they trained him so that he would never be that vulnerable again. When Itachi started to take missions out of the country for extended periods, Kisame would keep an eye on Sasuke from a distance.
Even Konan, had the habit of treating him like her son, though they were around the same age. At first, he thought it was rather odd that the woman was so kind towards him. At fourteen he witnessed her murder someone with origami - yes Konan killed someone with fucking paper. At such a young, he had thought that they were all soulless killers. With the exception of Hidan, who was utterly deranged, everyone else had their own reasons.
The flap to the tent opened, Kakashi stepped in. "I placed a few traps around the camp." He glanced at his watch. "The rain should be coming in soon. With the natural mist of the forest and now the added rain...we'll be better off blind. Once it lets up we can start back. I say we're about half a day from Oto.
They both sat across from each other on opposites sides of the tent. The picture in the front pocket of his flak jacket was burning a hole in the fabric. He kept having urges to pull it out and look at it. As if looking at it would someone suck him into that moment in time. Last night, while they were heading to meet Yamato, he burned some time by doing a little hacking.
Before the hour car ride was over, he had enough information on Neji to satiate his inner maniac. No, he wasn't stalking Neji. That was crazy; he was only admiring him from afar.
Okay, he was stalking Neji and maybe he was somewhat tempted to give him a call with the phone number he got from hacking Konoha's directory. If he could just hear the man's voice again, at least just once. His desire for Neji almost overpowered his need to protect Sasuke and that honestly scared the shit out of him. How did he allow one person to break through his defenses in such a short period of time?
Itachi felt disturbed by the things that he would do in order to have one more day with Neji. They didn't even have to have sex. He paused and looked around the tent in shock of his own thoughts.
No sex?
Yes, if that was the only term for him being granted another day with Neji he would take it - no questions asked. Did love make you subservient? It was pointless to dwell on, but he couldn't help himself.
"Are you ready to tell me about the girl in the picture?" Kakashi asked. His eyes were lowered reading over his report for the Hokage. "Or about the guy you were snooping on yesterday."
When Itachi didn't reply, he looked up and his eyes crinkled. "Itachi you naughty boy! Best of both worlds, huh?" The older man winked at him.
"I think the Hokage should rethink her choice in electing you to take her place." His cheeks tingled and he prayed that they didn't reveal his embarrassment. Kakashi's eyes were supposed to have been on the road last night not in his personal business. Personal business that was actually someone else's business.
"Red is definitely your color, Itachi." He laughed at his own joke.
Reduced to a flustering idiot all because of one man. What was the world coming to? Itachi concluded that he didn't like being...very fond of someone. He refused to admit that what he felt towards Neji was love. Their relationship only revolved around sex. So what if he watched Neji as he slept on several occasions, he was simply observing the man in his docile state. It wasn't because he obsessed with him or anything.
"Your childish antics may alert someone of our location." Itachi needed to get control of the situation. "Shouldn't you be focusing on the mission, Captain?" He made sure to add the emphasis on the man's rank to remind him of his duties.
"Oh. You're no fun."
"This isn't supposed to be fun." He reminded him. It wasn't a carefree camping trip between best buds. By that time tomorrow he could possibly be dead. That realization didn't have the impact on him that he expected.
"Do you have a plan? What are you going to do in Otogakure?" Kakashi's tone was serious. Sometimes his abrupt changes in mood were unnerving.
"I don't see how that concerns you. Don't worry, I will hold up my end of the agreement."
Kakashi laughed, but it was dry and humorless, lacking all of its previous euphoric qualities. "I'm not talking about the agreement. What are your plans on getting out of there once the job is done?"
Itachi didn't bother replying; he hadn't made any plans.
"You don't have to die, Itachi."
His head snapped up at that statement and their eyes locked. "Is that why Jiraiya assigned you? So you could try and persuade me to make it out alive?" The answer to the question was obvious; Itachi had suspected something was amiss. Despite their small "bonding" time together, he would incapacitate Kakashi if he needed.
"I could go with you."
"Go with me?" Itachi allowed the confusion to show on his face. "Your appearance could compromise the entire operation. Are you trying to start a war?"
"No, I'm trying to keep you from making a grave mistake!" His voice rose and he stood up with it. "Are you really that suicidal?"
Standing up as well, Itachi narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I think you should slow your roll. I'm not one of your subordinates, Hatake."
The threat was clear; but Kakashi could hold his own. "Jiraiya spoke highly of you. He didn't mention anything about you being reckless. Did you even try to find a solution out of this? Or did you just suck it up and accept it? I guess it's easier than doing the job yourself!"
"I don't have shit to go back to! There isn't a doting fiancé that accepts all of my flaws waiting for me back home. Stop trying to compare yourself to me!"
"What about your brother?" Kakashi took a step forward yet kept a safe enough distant to block a sudden attack. "Surely you care about what he thinks?"
"What about my brother?" Itachi asked quietly. He felt like he was having an out of body experience; as if the malevolent entity that resided deep within him shoved him to the side and took the wheel.
Ten years of suppressing everything had been a terrible idea - his mask of sanity was falling apart.
"Every fucking thing in my life has been about my brother!" He didn't know where the malice came from. Maybe it had always been there. "What about Sasuke? Sasuke is well off, trust me. He doesn't need me anymore! I've kept my promise, but now I am weary." Itachi took a breath and it was ragged, like he was breathing grief, exhaling despair. "And I love Sasuke, God knows I do. I even met someone that makes me want to leave all of this behind but I hurt him...I hurt him for the sake of my brother. Don't you dare ask me if I care what Sasuke thinks! It's pretty fucking obvious that I do."
Once the vitriolic rant was over, Itachi went back to his sleeping bag, unzipped it and climbed in. "Wake me up when the rain passes." He said before turning over with his back facing Kakashi.
The ANBU captain stood there for a full sixty seconds before he went to his own side of the tent. Provoking Itachi had not been a part of his plan, but it did play out in his favor. Now he just needed to switch tactics.
When the smoke cleared, he would have to make sure that Itachi had a session with Ibiki. Physically, Itachi was in perfect condition; his physique was remarkable. However, his mental stability was gradually slipping. It was obvious to him because he'd been in the same position years ago.
Kakashi prayed that by the end of it all that Itachi wouldn't completely lose his mind.
You can't dance with the devil and ask why you're still in hell.
Obito grudgingly admitted to himself as he sat parked outside of the Uchiha estate. He suppose it was fitting that things did not turn out how he was promised. By this point, Kakashi was supposed to be dead and the Hokage doctrine disbanded.
Through the years he had witnessed to some extent how capable Madara was when it came to exacting revenge on his foes. However, Madara had always been successful in exacting revenge for himself. For his own affairs and personal gain, he didn't care about anyone else. Obito knew that; so why couldn't he ever disobey the man?
Hours had passed and there was still no sign of Sasuke or the blond boy; the son of the Yondaime. He wondered if the two boys knew how much they had in common.
A chuckle passed his lips at the mere thought of how many lives Madara had actually ruined in the past. Not only was he responsible for the death of Sasuke's parents, but Naruto's as well.
Years before the Akatsuki was even dreamed of Madara had been in love. In love with his best friend Hashirama Senju, the Shodai Hokage of Konohagakure. The two had been friends since elementary all the way through their college years. However, they would never be more than friends because, Hashirama was simply not interested in men and he was enamored with his high school sweetheart Mito Uzumaki.
Madara was obsessed with the man more than anything. He had the habit of stalking Hashirama until his younger brother caught him. Hashirama being the kindhearted person that he was didn't end their friendship when he discovered his friend's feelings for him - much to his brother Tobirama's irritation.
Instead he politely turned him down, then turned around and asked Madara to be the best man at his wedding. Of course he declined and ended the friendship on his own accord.
Benightedly, Madara had convinced himself that Mito was the cause of his rejection. He bore a grudge for the Uzumaki clan from that day on. Those red haired, fair skinned abominations - Madara's words - were the bane of his existence and he made sure to express that as much as possible.
His first victim was Mito's father, but it wasn't satisfying enough.
Eventually his hatred lead him to Amegakure where he murdered an entire family. It was while he was attending the funeral to bask in the ambiance surrounding the death of more Uzumaki trash that he met two orphans. Yahiko and Konan had been best friends with the little boy that he murdered - his name was Nagato.
Convincing them that their friend was killed due to the corruptness of their country's government had been such an easy task. The seeds of the Akatsuki were planted on that day.
One night, a year after Minato Namikaze was elected to the position of Yondaime Hokage; Madara sent a serial killer that went by the alias Kyuubi to their home where he murdered Kushina. Before he could kill Naruto as well, Minato came home. The scuffle that ensued ended in both their deaths.
During the impromptu "family breakfast" a week ago, Madara had been purposely toying with Naruto; all the while admiring the three whisker like scars that adorned each of his cheeks. Compliments of Kyuubi.
With the tip from an "anonymous" source, Kyuubi was also blamed for the other Uzumaki murders.
When Madara told him all of this, Obito felt special. It was him that the man decided to confide in and that was how he knew that no matter what he was loved. Somebody loved him - in fact he was sure that Madara was the only person that did care for him.
An orange Jeep Wrangler pulled into the estate, the license plate read "RAM3N". He watched Naruto get out of the driver's side and Sasuke climb out of the passenger. Attacking now would be unwise so he decided to wait a few more minutes.
Madara instructed him to kill the Uzumaki boy if he interfered, but he planned on killing him anyway. He didn't like having any loose ends.
-o0o-
"Hey babe," Naruto bit another chunk of brownie. "These are really good. You should try one."
"What did I tell you about calling me that?" Sasuke complained as he sat his phone on the kitchen counter. He had just called his brother's phone for the sixteenth time since yesterday. The last time he called it went straight to voicemail.
Swallowing another piece of brownie, Naruto smiled knowingly. "You don't mind me calling you that when -"
"Naruto!" Sasuke warned. "I thought I told you to never bring that up!"
"But you're so cute when you do it."
He pointed to the plate of brownies that the boy was holding. "How many of those have you had?"
"Just 3...I think." Naruto sat the plate on the counter and laughed. "They have the weirdest after taste but it's not so bad."
Carefully, Sasuke picked one of the brownies up and sniffed it. "Where did you get these from?" He asked.
"Shino. They were left over from that party. I forgot they were in my car."
Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Naruto those are edibles."
"Duh! They're brownies of course you can eat 'em." The blonde shook his head and chuckled. "And people say you're the smart one! HA!"
"They have weed in them you idiot!" He picked up the plate and made his way over to the trash can.
"No! Don't throw them away. They're so good; I doubt I even get high."
Ignoring him, Sasuke dumped the entire plate into the trash can. When he started Junior High he promised Itachi that he would never do drugs; even something as seemingly harmless as Marijuana. Thinking of his older brother made him worry about the possibilities again. Something - he didn't know what - was about to happen. Some kind of huge change in his life. He didn't know where the sensation was coming from; it was just a gut feeling.
"Babe..." Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist and nuzzled his neck. "Stop worrying.'Kay?"
"You're going to be high as fuck in a few minutes. You've been wolfing those things down; I'm surprised you're not high yet."
Naruto replied by licking his neck and laughing. "I wish you tasted like Ramen. I would lick you all the time."
Pulling himself from the embrace, he looked at the blonde who was smiling at him with a goofy grin. Looks like he was already high.
He and Naruto were polar opposites in every sense. Initially, he detested the boy for several reasons. The main reason being Naruto's easygoing personality. Sasuke couldn't understand why someone like the blonde would ever think that life was great.
Not after what he had been through. Unlike him, who had the luxury of not witnessing his parent's death or seeing the aftermath - thanks to Itachi - Naruto wasn't so fortunate.
When Naruto was two years old he saw a man break into his home and kill his mother. Afterwards, the killer taunted him, calling him his "little kitsune" while he marked Naruto's face. Then when his father arrived, Naruto watched the two men fight and kill each other. Sasuke would never forget the night Naruto told him that. He would never forget his boyfriend telling him about how long he sat there crying in his parent's blood before the authorities came.
Eventually, he understood why Naruto behaved as he did. It was much better than dwelling on the pain of his past.
"Hey! I have an idea!"
Sasuke shook his head to clear the dark thoughts. "What kind of idea?" He asked.
"We can search for clues around the house! You know, to see if Itachi left anything for you to find."
"Hn." It was actually a good idea. "Where do you think we should start?"
Feeling pleased with himself, Naruto headed out of the kitchen and signaled the boy to follow him. "We should start in Itachi's room."
"I don't go in my brother's room." He said but decided to follow him anyway.
They went up the stairs, taking a right they headed straight for the door that stood at the end of the hall. Anxiety suddenly settled in the pit of Sasuke's stomach. He couldn't remember the last time he'd stepped foot in his brother's room. It had been like an unvoiced rule since he was nine to never go in his room.
"Knock, knock!" Naruto looked over at him and grinned. "Welp, I tried." He said before grabbing the knob and twisting it.
Frowning, Sasuke made a mental note to pummel Shino for giving the boy the brownies in the first place. Surprisingly, the door to his brother's room was unlocked. As if he owned the place, Naruto waltzed right on in. Sasuke hesitated for the briefest of moments before he followed the blonde in.
Itachi's room was neat - no it was insanely neat. It looked like a demo bedroom in an IKEA magazine. The color schemes were the same as Sasuke's; the Uchiha crest colors. A large red and white fan adorned the black wall above his bed.
"Talk about clean freak." Naruto said while he walked over to the walk-in closet. "Your brother had on this really cool blazer the other day. I wanna see if it's in here."
"Naruto, stay focused. We're looking for clues not stealing my brother's clothes."
"Blah blah...stay focused...not looking for clothes." He mocked his boyfriend. "I'll search for clues while I'm in here.'Kay?"
Deciding to just let the boy do as he pleased, Sasuke went to the nightstand and started to search the drawers. He would admit that he felt kind of guilty for snooping around in Itachi's things, but he wanted answers. The whole, secretive bullshit was starting to get on his nerves. Why couldn't Itachi see that he was old enough now to not remain in the dark? Whatever his brother was involved in it didn't matter; he just wanted to know that he was alright.
"Holy fuck!"
He turned his head to see Naruto walking out of the closet with a stunned look on his face.
"Sasuke, your brother is on some Christian Grey type shit." He held up a leather whip and a gag.
Sasuke walked over, all the while staring at the items that the blonde was holding up. When he mentioned that he was tired of being in the dark, he only meant with certain things. Not his brother's kinky sex life. He didn't even think Itachi had a sex life. Itachi didn't have sex; he was too...Itachi to have sex.
"There's more where this came from." Naruto walked back into the closet and Sasuke followed him.
They were both unaware of the person that was slowly making his way up the stairs.
In the closet, there were dress shirts, ties and suits; all neatly displayed on shelves and/or hangers. Itachi had all of his watches, cuff links, and pocket squares organized on a small black island that sat in the middle of the closet. There was also a large cabinet filled with dildos, vibrators, and lube, whips, floggers, rope, and nipple clamps.
Naruto picked up the biggest rubber dildo. "Look at the size of this thing!"
"Put that down! It could have been up someone's ass or worse...Itachi's ass." Sasuke scolded. His face was twisted in revulsion at the thought of his brother engaging in sex with anyone or anything. Was Itachi even gay? He had been convinced that he was asexual. He looked at his boyfriend again and glowered. "Naruto," He pointed at the trickle of blood that spilled from the boy's nose. "Are you serious?"
"Sorry, Sasuke." He grinned sheepishly and wiped his nose. "Thinking about your brother doing something like that is kinda hot. I'm not gonna lie."
Sasuke moved towards him with ill intent in his dark eyes, but Naruto's attention was on the person that was standing in the doorway of the closet holding a gun. Without warning, he hurled the dildo at the intruder.
"Shit!" Obito yelled when the object hit him in his eye.
The two boys looked at each other, Naruto started to laugh uncontrollably at the sight of the man clutching his right eye.
"Obito? What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked.
"Who gives a fuck? He has a gun let's run!" Naruto yelled in between laughs.
Before they could make a move to escape, Obito aimed the gun at them again. Glancing at the flesh colored sex toy on the floor, he looked at the one responsible and sneered.
"That was a big mistake." He promised as he cocked his gun.
"No," Naruto snickered. "It was a HUGE mistake. Do you see the size of that thing?"
"Shut up, Naruto." Sasuke bit out. Now was the worst possible time to be intoxicated. He needed to think fast if they hoped to get out of that closet alive.
"Why are you here, Obito?" He asked again.
"Madara sent me here to retrieve you."
"Fucking lap dog." Naruto murmured under his breath.
With a growl, Obito walked up to the snickering boy and stood in front of him. "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you." He smiled before adding. "Little kitsune."
It was as if a switch had been flipped. Naruto's smile faltered, his blue eyes hardened and the very air in the closet became stifling. "What the fuck did you just call me?"
Oh shit. Sasuke knew that things were about to get ugly.
For Obito.
Not sensing any danger, Obito lowered his gun. That was where he fucked up.
"I think you heard me. Little-"
The rest of the sentence never passed his lips before Naruto punched him right in his face. Obito was knocked out cold instantly; the teenager stood over him, breathing heavy and fuming.
Naruto kicked the unconscious man repeatedly. "Wake up you piece of shit."
"Naruto," Sasuke placed a hand on his arm. "Stop!"
His head snapped to the sound of Sasuke's voice. "But he," He closed his eyes tightly and started to shake his head frantically. "He said it. How did he know? Does that mean Kyuubi's still alive? Is he going to come for me too?"
Sasuke placed his hands on the sides of Naruto's face, forcing him to open his eyes and look at him. "Naruto. Kyuubi is dead. He can't hurt you anymore. I won't let him."
"But..." He pointed to the man that lay on the carpet.
"I know. I'm not sure how he knew that name but I'm going to find out. Okay?"
Nodding his head, Naruto sighed. "I'm never eating brownies again." He pouted.
Sasuke chuckled. "You're an idiot."
They stared at each other a little while longer before Sasuke broke away. He went to Obito, bent down and picked up the gun.
"Naruto, hand me those whips." He said over his shoulder. "Once he wakes up we'll start the interrogation."
Neji couldn't believe his eyes. He was out grabbing a bite to eat at Yakiniku Q when he spotted a familiar face from his past.
"Is that you my beautiful water lily?"
He watched in a mixture of emotions as the bushy browed, green clad man approached his table. Neji stared at the guy that he had his first intimate encounter with. Only one thing crossed his mind. What in the hell had I been thinking?
To be fair, he was only eight at the time and Rock Lee's eyebrows weren't that drastic. Yeah, he still looked like the Jolly Green Giant in all that green, but it wasn't this bad.
"Rock Lee?" Neji stood up and greeted but was pulled into a bone crushing hug. Lee wasn't the scrawny thing he was in middle school when he last saw him. He could feel himself being lifted off of the ground and his bruises were starting to hurt.
"It is you Neji Hyuga! My first love!" He exclaimed loudly drawing the attention of the other restaurant patrons.
"Lee!" Neji struggled in his arms. "Put me down!"
Obeying the command, he sat him back on his feet and flashed him a huge smile. "I haven't seen you in years. How have you been? Are you dining alone?" He sat down at the table before any of his questions were answered.
Neji adjusted the scarf around his neck. His bruises were healing but they were still very visible. Once he straightened out his clothes he took a seat as well.
"I see you're still exuberant as ever, Lee."
"And you're still as beautiful as ever, Neji. You're like a wild rose that has yet to be plucked. Such a virtuous beauty!"
Trust me, I've been plucked. Several times. He thought to himself. "Lee what are you doing in Konoha? Last I heard you moved to Kiri."
Rock Lee stared wistfully into the distance. "I'm here for my wedding. I'm getting married to the most gorgeous person in the world!"
"Oh yeah. I remember Tenten telling me that you were engaged to some guy that you met in college."
"Some guy?" He looked appalled. "Haku isn't just some guy. He's everything to me."
Neji smiled. "My apologies. So when's the big day?"
That morning he woke up in a particularly good mood. Well, he knew that it was actually forced, but he refused to allow "whatshisface" to have control over his life. He had been adamant about keeping himself busy and positive. As positive as he could be seeing that he was naturally a cynical person.
"The wedding is tomorrow actually. I'm having my bachelor's party tonight and I would love it if you would come. I rented out a night club and have invited all of my friends."
"I don't know Lee. It's such short notice..."
"There's going to be strippers. Both male and female." He added with a wink.
"Sounds exciting." Neji replied sarcastically but Lee didn't notice. Truthfully, he didn't have any plans for the night. Not unless you counted Netflix and the overwhelming sense of loneliness as plans.
"Come on Neji. It'll be fun. We can catch up while you're there."
Deciding that getting out of the house couldn't hurt. And he didn't have anything better to do, he gave in.
"Okay. Just give me the time and place."
"Excellent!" Lee beamed at him. Neji couldn't help but return the enthusiasm with his own very small smile. It was contagious. "Time will be 10pm. The place is Pakkun's Lounge!"
"I'll be there." Neji assured him, he knew the place only from word of mouth. He'd never been to that part of town.
Rock Lee stood up from the table. "It was really nice seeing you. I must leave now to run a few more errands. I'll see you tonight."
"See you later, Lee."
-o0o-
Neji punched in six numbers opening the iron gates to the Hyuga compound. The actual houses were about five miles from the front gate. Every family had their own house and sizable lawn. Although, Main house members had larger houses and more land while the clan head lived in a three story Mansion. There were four dojos, a Shinto shrine, and the Hyuga Mausoleum was located several miles behind the compound.
When he was younger, Neji didn't think there was anything outside of the compound until he was old enough to attend school. As usual, he didn't even spare a glance to the home where he and his father used to live. The Branch's formal delegator now lived there with his family of four.
Tokuma Hyuga, one of his uncle's personal guards greeted him when he stepped out of his car.
"Hiashi-sama has requested your presence."
Neji followed the man into the mansion in the direction of his uncle's study. A million thoughts ran through his mind on what his uncle could want with him. In the midst of his speculation, he realized that he had been checking Tokuma out.
Frowning, he averted his gaze from the man's ass -very nice ass - and he immediately felt disgusted, weren't they related? Technically, yes; all Hyugas are related somewhere down the line. Over the years a few "outsiders" had been thrown into the mix, but it didn't make much of a difference.
You just checked out your very distant relative you creep.
Lately, his libido had been higher than normal. Last night, he even masturbated in the shower with only one person on his mind. At first, he tried to think about some random guy that he saw once modeling in a Calvin Klein catalog - don't judge him- but that was a total fail. Unfortunately, he couldn't get the images of Itachi out of his head.
Those powerful hands all over his body and that long dark hair spilling over his shoulders as he...
Choked the living shit out of you. No fantasizing about psychotic assholes. He mentally chastised himself.
Neji couldn't understand why he still allowed himself to be affected by someone who basically played him. Itachi was out of his league; he should've known that the whole "bad for you" routine wasn't a routine. The guy killed someone in an alley, had blood plastered on his face and acted as if it was a daily occurrence. Then to make matters worse at the age of sixteen he basically owned some older guy.
Yeah, Itachi was so out of his league. Neji admitted that he just dived right into that when he should have just stayed his happy ass in the kiddie pool.
They reached his uncle's study. He moved to open the door but Tokuma placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear.
"Next time, I'm going to have to charge you." Then he turned on his heel and walked down the hall.
Neji didn't know how he noticed him staring at his ass. It was amazing, like he had eyes in the back of his head or some kind of magical eyes that gave him 360 degree vision. But that was impossible.
Feeling slightly flustered because his thirsty behavior was noticed, he quickly opened the door and stepped in.
Hiashi glanced up from the scroll that he was reading but said nothing. Surprise, surprise. Taking a seat at one of the chairs that day in front of the desk, he waited patiently. That was how he looked on the outside; his internal self was clawing at his insides in anticipation. It had been a habit of his since he was a kid to always expect the worse whenever he was summoned to his uncle's study.
Finally, Hiashi spoke. "Tomorrow morning, I will be leaving to pick Hanabi up. We should be back by tomorrow evening. While I am away you are to continue your training with Hinata."
Neji remained silent. He knew that Hiashi wasn't expecting a comment.
"Now with that out of the way." Hiashi smiled? It couldn't have been a smile, his lips quirked faintly; yeah that's what happened. "How are you feeling? Hinata told me that she made a batch of healing salve for you."
"Yes she did. My bruises are starting to heal." He tried not to stare too hard at the expression on his uncle's face. It looked as if he was smiling, but that was just wrong.
"Great!"
Neji discreetly looked around the room to see if there were any hidden cameras. There was no way in seven hells that Hiashi just responded with, "Great!" He waited for someone to burst through the door and tell him that he was on some ridiculous show. But they never came.
"Thanks?" He didn't mean for it to sound like a question. It just came out that way. Could you blame him? The situation was completely awkward.
Sensing the boy's confusion, he decided to tone it down a bit. For the past few days he had been trying to work on his blandness towards Hinata and Neji, but it was proving more difficult than he thought. Though, Hinata went along with it and even encouraged the enthusiasm, but of course Neji was a different case.
Hiashi cleared his throat. "I assume that you still don't remember who did this to you."
"The memory is very vague." Neji lied. He had dreamed about what happened and even replayed it in his head countless times through the day. There was no way to ever forget what Itachi did.
"Could you describe what you remember? Anything would help."
"I can remember someone choking me." He tried to scrape together any semblance of emotion into his words. "My eyes, from having that much pressure on my throat, were watery and it caused my vision to blur. I only know that it was a male."
That last statement struck a chord in him. He recalled what suggested about Neji being attacked by a possible lover. If his nephew confirmed that the person was male, did that mean that he was seeing another man?
"Neji." Hiashi's tone changed drastically. "Have you been...involved with anyone recently?"
Neji tried to keep his face as blank as possible. "I think that's a little too personal even for the clan head." He responded flatly.
Hiashi slammed his hand on his desk. The action caused Neji to lower his gaze and stare at his hands in his lap. He wasn't really in the mood for a lecture from his uncle. That was exactly why he moved out. Being at Hiashi's beck and call and the lack of privacy was his main reason for having his own apartment. Maybe it was time for him to go back home.
Realizing that he may have overreacted, Hiashi tried again. "Neji, I understand that you are entitled to your privacy. I just want what's best for you. This attack should not be overlooked, not in the least. If there is something you're hiding from me I need to know."
Whenever someone tells you that they are doing, "what's best for you", you're screwed. Those are not words you want to hear. It's right up there with, "it's not you it's me". That was what he wanted to say yet he knew that it would only result in an even longer speech on discipline. Neji had two choices: Tell his uncle about Itachi or continue with his initial plan of denial.
"I'm not hiding anything, uncle." Obviously he chose the latter.
"Okay. You're dismissed." Hiashi focused on his work again. If his nephew insisted on keeping up the charade he would result to other measures.
Without hesitation, Neji stood up, bowed and left the study. He was relieved yet skeptical that the conversation ended that easily.
Moments passed, he wanted to make sure the boy was out of hearing range.
"Tokuma."
The shoji screen that lead to his personal chambers slid open. Tokuma was there kneeling with his head down.
"Hiashi-sama."
"Keep a close eye on him" His eyes remained on his work as he gave the command. "Report everything to me."
"Wakey wakey Sleeping Beauty."
His eyes fluttered open and slowly adjusted to the brightness of the room. He tried to move but his arms and legs were tied to the chair that he was seated on. When his eyes finally focused, he eyed the two teenagers with indignation.
Sasuke smirked at him. "Sleeping Beauty? I don't know about that Naruto." He referred to the black eye and busted lip that the boy gave him.
Scratching the back of his head, Naruto laughed. "Guess I got a little carried away." He feigned sincerity. "How's the eye Obito?"
"Enough!" Obito yelled. "You two think you're pretty clever. You're both weak!"
"You're the one that broke in here and got your ass handed to you."
"Speaking of you breaking in," Sasuke took a step closer. "What's this about Madara sending you to fetch me?"
Naruto snickered at the double entendre.
However, Obito didn't find it funny at all. At that moment he was searching for the razor that he kept concealed in his shirt sleeve.
"Looking for this?" Naruto dangled the razor in front of his face triumphantly.
"You're not getting out of those binds unless we let you out. You broke into my home and aimed a gun at us. Start talking!"
Testing the strength of the whips, he came to the conclusion that what Sasuke said was true. He couldn't believe that he had been bested by two teenagers. He had underestimated them. Though it was obvious that they weren't killers; the worse he would experience was a few punches and verbal abuse. Obito concluded that he didn't have anything to worry about.
Smugly, he chuckled. "And if I don't talk what exactly are you two going to do, huh?"
"Call the cops and have your ugly ass arrested for breaking and entering, assault with a deadly weapon, and attempted kidnap!"
Sasuke nodded his head in agreement with his boyfriend. "I'm sure Madara wouldn't want his most-prized pooch locked up."
"What's with the dog jokes? Is that the only thing you two shits can come up with?" He seethed.
"I don't know Old Yeller," Naruto tilted his head as if he were in deep thought. "Maybe because the last time you were here, Madara was all like "go start the car" and your obedient ass did so. I'm sure there are other examples.
Obito struggled against the whips again. He couldn't wait to kill the blonde loudmouth. "It's called loyalty! Something you two -
"Something we don't give a shit about right now!" Sasuke was beyond fed up with the man. He walked over to one of the shelves that hung on the wall and picked up a hammer.
Unfazed, Obito smiled at him as he approached. "What are you going to do with that little Sasuke? You don't have the balls like Itachi does!"
His only response was to smash the man's hand with the hammer. Obito screamed, and then gritted his teeth.
Cerulean eyes widened. "Oh shit...Sasuke?" Either the brownies were still messing with his head or things had escalated quickly. Sasuke looked like a madman wielding that hammer. When he smashed Obito's hand he didn't even blink.
Ignoring the blonde, Sasuke leveled his face with the man. "Start fucking talking."
"How much do you know about your brother?" He panted trying to push through the pain. "Do you know what he really does for a living?"
Sasuke remained silent.
He continued. "Maybe I should've used past tense. Seeing that Itachi is dead."
"You're lying!" He raised the hammer again to deliver another blow to the same hand when he felt a strong grip on his wrist.
Naruto tightened his grip to show how serious he was. "That's enough, Sasuke!"
"Listen to your boyfriend..."
"You shut up!" Naruto took the hammer from the raven that seemed to be in a daze.
Things were starting to get out of hand. Truthfully, things had gotten out of hand when they tied Obito up instead of calling the police. But Sasuke wanted any answers that could possibly lead him to his brother.
After making sure that Obito's binds were secured and the man didn't have anything in his hand, Naruto placed the hammer back on the shelf. He grabbed Sasuke by the arm and guided him up the stairs of the basement.
"What was that down there?" He asked once they were out of hearing range.
Snapping out of his stupor, the boy shrugged dismissively. "He wouldn't talk. So I encouraged him."
"Oh real nice tough guy!"
"Says the person that laid him out with one punch. Don't be a hypocrite."
"Sasuke," He sounded regretful. "You know sometimes I can't control it...and he called me that name. I just lost it."
Sighing, Sasuke raked his fingers through his hair. "I know Naruto. Sorry if I scared you with the whole hammer bit."
"Scared me? No I thought it was pretty cool, but come on. That's not us. We're nothing but a couple of stupid teens. We're definitely not about that 'life'.
"Stupid." He smirked. "Speak for yourself, dobe."
Naruto beamed at him. "Alright, I'll let that one slide." He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text. Something he realized that he should've done in the first place. Luckily, the old perv was home for once. It should only take him a few minutes to get there.
"Who did you text?"
"Someone who really is about that life."
The two teenagers walked into the basement, pleased to see that Obito was still tied to the chair. With the battered face and broken hand he looked like he was going to pass out at any moment, but that didn't stop him from sneering at them.
"Lover's quarrel?" Obito teased. "So tell me which one of you...leads in the bedroom?"
They shared a look and each pulled a face of disgust.
"Dude, why would you be interested in how two teen boys have sex?"
"Creep." Sasuke chimed in.
That was not where is he was going with that. He was hoping to use that to make them go against each other. Obito decided on a new tactic of verbal warfare. From observing the two he couldn't exactly tell who was in charge, but Sasuke would be the easier one to provoke. His unconditional love for his brother would cloud his judgement.
"Do you want the truth about Itachi or not?" Obits asked. He felt pleased when he saw the nervous glance that Sasuke sent the blonde.
"No." Naruto answered for him. "We admit that we aren't the ones for this job. So we called in reinforcements asshole."
"Reinforcements?"
The door to the basement opened, three sets of eyes were glued on the stairs in anticipation for the newcomer. Only Naruto was aware of whom it was.
There was a deep chuckle. "You boys did well."
Sasuke looked at his boyfriend in confusion. "You mean to tell me that Jiraiya is the one that you contacted?"
At the sound of the man's name, Obito started to fidget in his seat. If Jiraiya was here that meant that escaping was going to be difficult. Madara had warned him to never underestimate the older man.
"Naruto," Jiraiya looked around the basement until his eyes landed on Obito. "You and Sasuke pack a few things and head to Iruka's. I'll take over from here. Ibiki is on his way, we'll get him to talk."
"Wait!" Sasuke pointed at Obito. "He said that Itachi was dead. I need to know what's going on with my brother. There's also the fact that he broke in here and aimed a gun at us. I deserve to know what's going on." He hoped that his voice didn't reveal his inner turmoil. The possibility of his brother being dead made him feel hollow.
"Trust me, Sasuke. I'll get all of the answers out of him." Jiraiya promised the boy.
"Come on, let him handle this, Sasuke."
Reluctantly, he followed his boyfriend up the stairs and out of the basement. Like Naruto said, they weren't the right ones to interrogate someone. Obito gave off a "suicide bomber" vibe; he would more than likely die before he told them anything. But how exactly was someone like Jiraiya going to get him to talk?
"Naruto, what aren't you telling me?" He eyed the back of the boy's head suspiciously. If Naruto was keeping things from him as well, he didn't know how he would handle that. They had always shared everything with each other.
"I'll explain everything that I know when we get to Iruka's."
Despite him being raised in a very strict household, Neji had always been an open-minded person. Personally, there were some - a lot of things that he just wasn't into. Rimming being one of them; and yes he knew that he shouldn't knock it until he tried it, but he refused. Nonetheless, he tried to refrain from judging people for their preferences in anything. Be it sexual partners, food, or taste in music.
So when Rock Lee informed him that he was pansexual, he was genuinely happy for his friend for being comfortable with his sexuality. He would even admit to admiring Lee, if only a little, because he stayed true to himself. Something that he was still having trouble with.
However the next thing that came out of Lee's mouth didn't have the same effect on him.
"Yes, I thought you were a girl. That is why I kissed you!" Lee had to raise his voice over the loud music. "Sensei told me that you were a boy. I guess I kind of just developed an attraction towards androgynous people then gradually it blossomed into -"
"All of that is great, Lee." Neji interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "Just great. But you thought I was a girl? We were in a classroom full of other boys..."
Lee laughed, he wasn't drunk yet but he was probably getting there. The party had started an hour ago and Pakkun's was packed with his friends from high school, people that Lee met in college and random people who saw that there was a party going on. Neji was a little surprised that Lee had so many friends, but he understood why he would. Rock Lee was just a positive person to be around and people flocked to that.
"I thought," Lee clutched his sides as he continued to laugh. "I thought they put you in the wrong class!"
"So that's what drew you to Haku?" Neji asked the man about his fiancé. When he met Haku he immediately thought that he was looking at one of the prettiest females that he'd ever saw. Then he remembered that Lee was marrying a man.
Neji took a sip of his drink. The plan was to drink in moderation for the evening; he didn't want to get too wasted and do something rash tonight. And he knew from experience that alcohol only made a situation worse.
"I met Haku during one of my kickboxing tournaments." Lee said wistfully. "He was one of my opponents."
At the revelation, he thought back to when he met Haku an hour ago. He was with a large man, named Zabuza that looked like he had an advanced degree in violent crime.
"Who won?" Neji would pay all of his savings to see Haku in action; he was simply curious.
"Haku." Lee looked at his empty cup and sat it on the bar. "I think I'm done for the night. I shouldn't get too drunk."
Haku won against Lee? He couldn't wrap his mind around someone seemingly delicate as Haku winning a fight against Lee. The boy used to run laps around the school every day during lunch. "I guess you can't judge a book by its cover." Neji murmured to himself. Then he remembered what Lee said. "You're done drinking? Aren't you supposed to drink yourself into a coma before the big day? Or is that only in movies?"
"I get a little...intense when I'm drunk."
"What do you do?" Neji chuckled. "Go on a rampage? Relax it's your night. By this time tomorrow you'll be tied down for the rest of your life."
Lee smiled brightly and his eyes seemed to sparkle in the dim lighting of the club. "I can hardly wait! Haku and I bonded together in not only pure unadulterated matrimony..."
Tuning out the long winded speech, he tapped into his innermost thoughts. Yeah, Itachi was still there lingering around; even his mind wasn't safe. Neji wanted to be happy for Lee not bitter because of his shitty attempt at romance. He came out tonight to enjoy himself, support a friend, and not think about Itachi. But as usual, he was thinking about him.
Maybe everything worked out for the best. By December it wouldn't have mattered if Itachi betrayed him or not.
"The show is about to start!" Lee exclaimed excitedly.
He turned his attention to the stage that took up majority of the club. Usually the best man was in charge of throwing a bachelor party, but Lee took it upon himself to take care of everything. He claimed that it was a celebration for everyone. Following Lee to the front of the stage, Neji quickly debated on making a run for it. Being so close to the stage where a bunch of ripped men drenched in oil...okay he decided to just let Lee drag him to the stage. Remember he was there to support his friend, nothing more.
"There are both male and female strippers. Once the dance routine is over, they'll walk off stage and mingle with the guest!" Lee nudged him with his elbow. "You might get lucky tonight, Neji."
"I highly doubt that."
After the DJ's over the top introduction, the dancers came on stage. All were dressed in risqué costumes. While they danced - fucked the air- to a sensual song, Neji attempted to find at least one male stripper that could serve as "eye candy" for the evening to distract him from his thoughts of Itachi. He couldn't. Humoring himself, he focused his gaze on the closest woman that was gyrating provocatively.
Smirking he took a sip of his drink. "Hiashi and my future bride are going to be in for a rude awakening." He silently snickered to himself.
The routine was over and the dancers split up to different sides of the club. Some of Lee's friends from Kiri came and whisked him away to get a few lap dances. Neji made his way back to the bar; it was a safe distance from all of the half-naked strippers. Taking a seat, he could see the bartender heading in his direction. He was ready to tell her that he was done for the night when she handed him a drink.
"It's from that guy over there." She pointed in the direction of the man that was smirking at him at the other end of the bar.
It took him half a second to realize who it was. He looked at the pink concoction and the offending umbrella that protruded from the glass. "Thank you, but could you send it back?" He smirked at the man. "Or better yet pour it down the drain."
"Can I just have it?"
He looked at the woman and smiled. "Have at it."
"Thanks!" She walked off. At the same time the man came over and sat next to him.
"Hyuga-hime," Hidan laughed at the glare that was being aimed at him. "I ordered that drink just for you. Why'd you go give it away?"
"Didn't I tell you not to call me that?" Neji wanted to wipe that smile off of the man's face. Involuntarily, he raked his eyes over Hidan's physique He recalled Hidan having a tongue ring. Faintly, he pondered on how stimulating that could be.
Hidan noticed Neji checking him out but he ignored it - for now. "That's right, your name is Kenji."
Shoving the inappropriate thoughts aside, Neji nodded his head. "Right, Kenji." At least, Itachi didn't leave him totally empty handed.
"You know you're going to have to reimburse me for that drink."
"Tough luck. I didn't ask you to buy it." He paused. "Why are you even here? Are you stalking me?"
"Stalking?" He threw his head back and laughed like it was the most outrageous thing ever. "Fuck no."
"Yeah, because a stalker would never deny being a stalker." Looking around the club, he could see that majority of the guests were focused on the exotic dancers. It was nearing midnight, from the looks of it; the party could last for another two hours. He didn't plan on staying that long.
While Neji was looking off, Hidan was fixated on the thick chestnut tresses that hung heavily down the Hyuga's back. Restlessly, he drummed his fingers on his knees in anticipation. The more Neji denied him; it only played a part in rousing him further. Easy ass was great but there was nothing like the thrill of the hunt. His violet gaze slid out the corner of his eye where he watched the bartender sway a little bit.
In about fifteen minutes, the Rohypnol was going to kick in full force.
Neji turned around to see Hidan eyeing him hungrily. It sent a mix of emotions through him; mainly trepidation and lust. A small kiss of sensation that was almost visible, like heat shimmering off asphalt, tickled down his spine. "Why are you here again?" He found himself asking. His voice sounded foreign to his own ears
Hidan's eyes - a peculiar shade of violet - bore into his own, shifting ever so slightly to his nose before dipping down infinitesimally, and Neji just knew that he was looking at his lips.
Like a deer caught in head lights, he stared back. Foolishly he licked his dry lips, consequently sending an invitation to Hidan to lean over and accept. Although it wasn't what his mind truly wanted but his body had other plans. Neji felt himself shifting on the bar stool so he could get closer and close the distance.
Thankfully, his phone went off - breaking the spell. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and looked at the caller ID. He didn't recognize the number. Neji stood up from the stool and sent a glance to Hidan before he walked outside through the side door of the club. Outside of the club, his ears were ringing and his heart pounding.
"Hello?" He answered the phone by the fifth ring, surprised that the person hadn't hung up already. When he received no answer he looked at the number again. It had an odd area code.
He tried again, this time straining his ears to make out any sounds on the other end. "Hello?"
Nothing.
"Itachi?" He asked solely on a whim. So when Neji heard the person's breathe hitch on the other end his throat instantly tightened. He swallowed hard, trying to remove the lump in his throat and steady his voice back to its deep baritone. "Is that you, Itachi?"
A second passed. A minute - it felt like an eternity before there was a response.
"...Neji."
A flurry of emotions flooded him in that instance: He wanted to yell at Itachi and curse him. All of the things that he had planned on telling the man were stuck painfully in his chest. His hands began to tingle as if there were a million ants marching around. Was he still holding the phone? Neji couldn't tell because his entire body felt numb.
"I'm sorry, Neji."
He felt his heart squeeze painfully at the broken catches in Itachi's voice. Then the line went dead. Everything was suddenly blurry as tears swamped Neji's eyes.
Neji was still in shock long after the call ended; he didn't sense Hidan who had been eavesdropping the entire time. Though the conversation was short, Hidan had heard enough for his interest to be piqued.
Ice Princess Uchiha, huh? Hidan smirked before walking back into the club. He decided to call it quits for the night; Neji was attracted to him physically and that was all he needed. But first, he had to find out more about the Hyuga's involvement with Itachi.
At the end of alley, Tokuma concealed his weapon and retreated back into the shadows.
Kakashi leaned his head back against the bark of the tree. On the other side of the same tree, Itachi was smashing his phone repeatedly all the while cursing under his breath. It was like watching a movie of his younger self. They were like two shipwreck survivors clinging to a raft and waiting to be rescued. But no one came to rescue them, and they both grew up with no affection or guidance beyond how to end a life.
Though in Kakashi's case, he had Iruka. He had a person that knew all of his sins and still loved him unconditionally. Kakashi knew from experience that no matter what he said to Itachi, he was going to make his own decision in the end.
With a sigh, he sat down at the base of the tree. Purposely, he rustled a few leaves. It was his way of keeping his distance yet letting Itachi know that he wasn't alone. He didn't say anything, couldn't say anything. Instead he opted to just listen to Itachi cry for the rest of the night.
Otogakure could wait for a few more hours.
AN: To the reviewer "Guest" (you know who you are) I added Tokuma hope you like his role, he'll be popping up more. :D