Okay, I am sorry, sorry, really sorry this took so long. I haven't found a beta, so this won't be as perfect as it should be, but I've corrected as much as I could. Enjoy.
Disclaimer - I don't wanna own Naruto. Seriously, it'd be too much work.
This wasn't over. I had never before given any thought to my ancestors, but now seemed a good time to address them, and swear to all Uchihas before me I would get revenge for that idiot blond.
Naruto hadn't said a word after our little discussion in the infirmary. It hurt to watch him walk back to my office as though nothing had happened, apologize for both the scene he had provoked and his lateness, and return to his work the exact same way he had done in the last few days. Clearly he did not want me to talk about what had happened, ignoring me if I tried to speak to him. Forcing the Uchiha clan's mask upon my face, I calmed my aching nerves and imitated his behavior. There was no point in trying to talk to him now.
Sakura handed me the morning's work with trembling hands. As I glanced up at her, I realized it wasn't due to what I might have thought to be grief or pain. No, my usually soft, delicate secretary was shaking with a rage well-related to my own. And she had no impassive mask to hide beneath. Despite this she did her best to maintain a straight face while handing Naruto his own stack, and walked out of the room without a word.
The building remained as silent as a graveyard for the rest of the day. It was hard to work, harder even to check on the blond's results. I spent a decent potion of the morning focused on aimless thoughts, regretting my nationality for the first time. Japanese simply wasn't the ideal language when you wanted to swear your lungs out, and the education I had received forbade me from any display of temper.
The clock struck three, startling me into awareness. Sakura entered the office as I leaned back on my chair, trying to remember exactly what I had been supposed to be working on at this hour.
"Mrs. Hyuuga called," my secretary said, offering both Naruto and I cups of coffee. Hyuuga...Hinata. Yes. I still couldn't remember the subject. "For the contract you needed to sign together. She said she couldn't come this afternoon. There was a snowstorm in New York yesterday and all the planes were canceled. She'll be arriving this evening-" Sakura halted and sighed as I nodded obediently, allowing worry to form upon her features. "You should take a walk," she advised in a soft voice. "It might help you clear your head."
I nodded again, and got to my feet. My staying here was pointless, and more stressful than anything else. Taking my coat, I turned back to the blond. "Feel free to leave when you're done. I don't know whether I'll come back."
"That's..." he paused, suddenly hesitating. Looking at him, I spotted a subconscious cringe, and suddenly realized that the Akatsuki might not just have given him a beating. Threats were my guess. I gave him a questioning look, and he shrugged. "I was going to say 'irresponsible'. But it's not my place to say, right?"
"Are you asking me?" My voice had snapped, much to my surprise. Naruto's eyes rose to face mine, wider than usual. "Are you expecting me to confirm whatever those people said to you while they were cutting you up? What they implemented in your brain by using pain to make it stick? I will not." I needed to get out, fast. Without another word, I slammed out of my office and hurried out of the building before my sensitive self could remember exactly how cold it was outside.
The glacial air hit me like a wall. The weather had cooled drastically in the last few days, and I shivered despite the warmness of my coat. Advancing rapidly through the streets, I eventually ceased pretending the cold left me unaffected and entered a bar.
"Bit early to start drinking," someone remarked after I had given my order. The voice was too familiar to miss. Closing my eyes, I slowly counted to ten, and then turned around. Sadly I hadn't been dreaming. Hatake Kakashi gave me an ironic salute before installing himself in the chair next to mine.
"You are honestly the last person I need to see today," I growled at the man, rubbing my temple in anticipation.
"Nah, I'm sure I'm after your brother on the list," he replied with a cheerful smile. "Though, what I ever did to earn so much hate, I often wonder..."
"Kakashi," my warning voice growled. The man's hair was snow-white; quite unusual for the detective and part-time bodyguard he was, but none of his clients ever complained. Just like the blond still working in my office, he was good enough to give his looks some slack. Though nothing he did, in my opinion, could possibly excuse his character.
"If you give me time I'm sure I'll end up coming first, though," he added, blissfully ignorant of my growing irritation. "You know what they say: practice makes perfect. How do you think I'm doing?" Before I could reply, he continued, "That was a rhetorical question, sorry. My point is-"
I didn't register the following words, instead wondering, as I did every time I saw him, how we had met in the first place. Then remembering he had been the first person I had hired to look for my brother. He had searched for a month, befriending me in the process, and had then canceled the entire thing, telling me I should simply give up on Itachi. Needless to say I hadn't followed his advice. It was, after all, only my business.
A glass filled with a liquid of undefinable color was placed before me, but my neighbor caught it before I moved.
"I was serious," he said, still smiling. Sipping, his face became grave and he observed me. "You look..." he paused, thoughtful. "Now they had a word for this in France I liked. What was it again?"
"You've been to France lately?" I asked, slightly surprised.
"Who hasn't?" He shook his head. "My dear little Sasuke, you should know that in troubled times, one must always visit the city of love; it cleanses the heart and soul-"
"Could you stop spitting nonsense?" I snapped. "My brain's already under enough stress-"
"Furax,"Kakashi breathed. "I love that word. That's exactly what you are. But I believe I can help you get some relief."
"Sure," I replied. "Let's go outside; I'm sure my fists could use a little workout."
"With some luck they won't need any," the man replied. "But outside's a good idea." He dropped a bill on the counter and forced me to my feet. "Come on. People can't overhear with scarves covering their ears."
Snow had started to fall. We walked to the closest park, progressing slowly once we had entered.
"I got a mail," Kakashi finally said. "Telling me you needed help."
"I never said I needed-"
"I was told you might," the older man cut me. "I've also received all the necessary information to take that entire organization down, given adequate firepower." He gave the closest bench a thoughtful look. "The Akatsuki, huh? Lots of underlings. But they're a small thinking group; we don't need to take out that many to dismantle the entire thing."
He stopped in mid-track, suddenly realizing I hadn't followed.
"Wait," I said. "Wait. Don't tell me you know exactly what we'd be going up against-"
"More than that. I not only know what, but also where and when. My sources also warned me you'd be ready to follow. And don't worry. Gamabunta Security is watching over both my laptop and my personal well-being for the moment." He winked, and I only stared.
"Why are you involving yourself in this?" I asked. "It isn't any of your business. Who sent you that mail?"
"Your brother." Kakashi's grin increased tenfold as I glared. "Next time don't ask for details," he advised. "That way you won't hear things you don't like."
"Why can't you just tell me you don't want to share the information?" I snapped. "And you haven't answered my first question."
"As to why I'm suddenly interested in something more than bothering you? Change of mood, I guess. Though that's probably not going to satisfy you. Let's say I already lost someone to that group. Another Jinchuuriki, too. The first tail, Tanuki." He sighed. "His name was Gaara. Your little protégé surely knows about him."
"He's not my-"
"Do you want to do this or not?" This time the man's smile was gone. "Truthfully, Uchiha, I don't exactly enjoy freezing my ass off -if you'll excuse the expression- while you debate on how close you feel to that European kid. Or American. I don't need to debate on that. I'd rather know whether or not you intend to do anything about the condition he's in."
I gave him a suspicious look. "He's the one who told you," I accused.
"I said it was your brother, didn't I?"
"Fine." I raised my hands in defeat. "I'll stop asking. When are we doing this?"
Slowly, but surely, the smile returned. "How fast can your troops turn in?"
Uchiha Inc. was most commonly known for its high-tech products, multiple services and worldwide presence. Few people were aware of the fact the company had started as a private police force, before my father had taken matters into his own hands and turned it into what is was now. The Uchiha troops, however, had never entirely vanished, since convincing unwilling partners was much easier if you had a means of physical persuasion -technique my predecessor had widely used- and always came in handy for situations such as these.
Contacting my 'troops' was actually much less of a challenge than I would have thought. I readjusted my tie before ringing the doorbell of the prestigious mansion standing before me, and was welcomed by one of the family's maids.
"Mr. Uchiha," the woman said. "We weren't expecting you. Please do come in."
"My secretary told me Mrs Hyuuga would be arriving in the evening," I explained with a polite smile. "I thought I might stop by."
"She hasn't arrived yet," the maid confessed. "Her cousin also came by to welcome her; would you like to join him in the living room? I will bring you some tea." I nodded and followed her through the first floor, and was introduced to a man I hadn't thought I'd see again this soon.
"Uchiha Sasuke," he spoke softly, getting to his feet as I approached. "Truth to say, I was expecting you earlier."
I arched an eyebrow, and Hyuuga Neji removed his cellphone from his pocket. "Your detective called two hours ago. I came here as soon as I found an excuse."
"Kakashi isn't my detective anymore," I said sternly. "Did he tell you about what we needed?"
"In a detailed fashion," the other man assured. "I'll give you a report once I have your confirmation on the matter, as well as your motive." He handed me a curious look. "What happened?"
I didn't answer, until the maid returned with tea and cake. She set everything on a low table, and left as quietly as she had entered.
"I happen to have an issue with the Akatsuki," I finally stated, taking a sip from one of the cups. "They challenged me in my own territory, and I am not about to let that pass."
"In your territory?" Neji repeated. "You mean they killed someone in Uchiha Inc.'s entrance hall or something?" His smile vanished when he realized how close he was to the truth.
"Maybe you haven't heard of the Jinchuuriki," I began. "But-" Neji interrupted me with a raised hand.
"My bad," he said. "I hadn't considered you could have met one of those. How many tails?"
"Nine," was my dry answer. "Didn't Kakashi tell you anything about this?"
"It's not a subject he likes to discuss, Uchiha. I thought he might have explained that to you. I was with Gaara when he was killed." Memory that hadn't manifested itself with Kakashi suddenly roared back to my mind.
It had been a year ago; despite giving up on the mission I had given him, Kakashi had stayed in touch, keeping an eye on me every so often. Several weeks after his departure, he had come to me for help, and I had sent Neji and ten additional members of the Uchiha police force to investigate some of the dangerous areas of town. Kakashi had brought some of his own men, and the whole thing had been a disaster.
My ex-detective's men, as well as Neji, had all been captured by a group called Byakugan, and had suffered the price of their mistake. Nowadays, Hyuuga Neji constantly wore a black bandana or hat to hide his forehead, which had been marked by the yakuza group's symbol, the caged bird cross. Kakashi had never told me one of his men had also been killed in the process. I had always believed that those marked foreheads had been the worst causalities of the incident.
"Gaara was recognized and sent back to the Akatsuki," Neji explained. "He had escaped when he was a kid, and I believe they made an example out of him, for all the other Jinchuuriki."
"Why wasn't I told of this?" My voice was quiet, my knuckles whiter than usual.
"I don't think Kakashi had the heart to tell anyone," the other man sighed. "Gaara took refuge in his family; they grew up together." He paused, then softly added, "We shouldn't focus on the past."
Taking a deep breath, I nodded. "Tell me everything you know."
I departed an hour and a half later, the last thirty minutes spent with the female Hyuuga. Hinata had nearly strangled me when we had greeted each other, and had insisted on taking care of all the paperwork immediately. Therefore it was with a sense of accomplishment that I left the Hyuuga mansion, returning to my own two hours later than usual.
The lights were all lit, which surprised me; usually only the kitchens, entrance hall and dining room's lights were turned on when I came home this late.
"Master!" one of the maids exclaimed when I came in. "Everyone's been worried! Ms. Haruno just arrived; she thought they might have tried to kidnap you as well-"
I blinked, panic suddenly hitting me like a wave. "She was kidnapped?"
"She says they tried, sir; she's in the kitchen right now, and we've called security..."
I did not listen to the rest, rushing to the aforementioned place. Sakura was fighting off my cook, whose temper was nearly as dangerous as my secretary's. "I told you I could do it myself!" the younger woman cried, swiftly wrapping bandages around her left forearm.
"Your face is a mess and we'll do it much faster if we're two-" Tsunade noticed me and straightened. "Sasuke dear, tell this young lady to let me do my job before I completely lose my self-control."
"You should listen to your elders," I stated dryly. "What happened to you?"
Sakura's entire body suddenly weakened, and only Tsunade's presence kept her from losing foot. "You're alive," she sighed in relief. "I didn't know where you were, and Shikamaru called me to say Ino had disappeared. I was" -she stiffened as Tsunade began bandaging her again- "attacked by some street thugs on my way to his place, and they told me you'd be next. I called the police, but I wasn't sure my thugs were the ones supposed to take care of you..."
"How many of them were they?" I asked.
She gave me an angry look. "Five, and by now I thought you might assume it wasn't a problem to me. The only reason I got hurt is because they took me by surprise. But they wanted to have some fun before, so they didn't knock me out." She smiled grimly.
"Do you know if they went after anyone else?" I asked, taking out my cellphone.
Sakura shook here head. "I suppose they went after those Sai saw this morning," she told me. "Ino handed you the wheelchair, and I'm the one who nearly beat his brains out."
"When did this happen?"
"Shika called me half an hour ago," Sakura said quietly. "He's worried..."
I could have cursed. Why hadn't I thought of concealing my actions? Of course the Akatsuki would pay minimum attention to what I did during the day, and my visiting the Hyuugas would never have gone unnoticed. Obviously, others had paid for my personal stupidity.
I dialed the number rapidly, keeping my fingers from curling as I waited. "Kakashi?" I said as soon as I heard an answer. "I'm afraid we're going to have to speed things up."
* * *
The night air bit harshly into my skin as I got out of the car, but I barely noticed. Sakura stepped out a second after me, and the two of us headed to the white-haired man standing amidst a group of heavily equipped men.
"This isn't a place for the pretty ladies," Kakashi remarked as soon as we were close. "I'd also advise you not to come, Uchiha. Things might get ugly."
"We don't have time to give you a demonstration of Sakura's capabilities, and my staying here is out of the question," I snapped. "Where's Neji?"
"On the other side. I told him I wanted to keep an eye on you."
"I'll help you with that part," Sakura assured him, slipping on a pair of leather gloves. "Don't worry about me."
Kakashi's eyebrows rose, but he shrugged, and asked instead, "What weapons did you bring?"
"Gun, just as you told me," I replied. "And this." I revealed the wakizashi attached to my hip.
Again Kakashi's eyebrows rose. "Useful for close-up combat," he admitted. "If you know how to use it."
"Hatake, I know what to expect from this kind of place," I snapped. "I don't bring things like these for show."
"Just checking," he replied. "What about you?"
Sakura removed a small spaying bottle from a pouch. "Tear gas," she explained. "But I wouldn't say no to a gun."
"You can use one?"
"I can aim," Sakura replied. "I'll learn."
"Very well." The man sighed, handing her his weapon. "Take your bulletproof jackets and try to stay with me, both of you. We're going in!" he shouted to the rest of the group.
It soon became obvious we were expected, but also obvious the enemy hadn't thought there'd be so many of us. Firing guns welcomed us as soon as we entered the darker streets, and we carefully spread out, advancing more rapidly as each group split. Sakura, Kakashi and I were accompanied by two men, and soon ran into an enemy group twice as large. Guns ceased to be an answer once everyone took notice of the lack of space separating adversaries. Sakura was the first to grab someone and throw him against his peers, and the opposite gender soon imitated her.
Here's an interesting fact: no one counts to four. Birds and humans alike are perfectly capable of telling you how many hunters have entered a patch of land if their number is inferior or equal to said number. Past that, the birds can't tell and we have to count. I happened to have four companions, which meant it was a lot easier to keep track of all of them while fighting than if there had been an additional person.
I unsheathed the wakizashi and slashed as soon as I knew all those I didn't want to hit were out of range. Our opponents' weapons varied from metal bars to nunshakus to actual swords, sprinkled with electric devices of multiple form. There was no holding back in this kind of situation; these thugs wanted us dead, and weren't likely to surrender. I aimed my blows on their legs, stopping most in their tracks, while Sakura made a very good job out of knocking people out with a single blow to the neck. Even Kakashi stopped to admire her technique.
And then I heard the banging. Without looking back, I rushed into one of the smaller alleys, running toward a metallic door secured by the iron bar slid between the knobs.
"Let me out!" a familiar voice roared. "You can't keep me in here forever, you fucking bastards, open the damn door!"
The iron bar was pulled out and I stepped out of the way as the door burst open. Naruto was quite a sight; his facial wound were nearly healed, distinctively visible against his pale, furious face. He was dressed entirely in black, bare throat revealing a necklace I had failed to notice before. His fists were curled in a dangerous manner, eyes shining with a fury that made me thankful we were on the same side.
He barely seemed to notice me; as soon as his brain registered I was not someone he wanted to hurt, he turned away and glared murderously towards the roofs. "I need that," he growled in my direction, extending his hand for the sword.
"I came here for you, Uzumaki," was my curt reply. "I'm not letting you out of my sight now that I've-"
A small round object landed next to my feet, releasing tear gas inside the minuscule street. Masked men chose that moment to appear on each side, preventing us from escaping.
Naruto seized the iron bar that had kept him captive, while I rose my blade, but fighting with our eyes half-closed was pointless. We were both captured and knocked out before any of us could call for help.
* * *
"The Kyuubi's waking, sir."
Something beside me stirred, and a voice chuckled. "He'll have cost us a lot more than the others, hasn't he?"
"Yes, sir."
There was a sound of a foot hitting something soft, and a grunt. "Get to your feet, Jinchuuriki."
Sound next to me. I open my eyes in slits, and saw Naruto push himself up obediently. The man who had issued the order was out of my view range, but I could see the men surrounding the three of us. Not good.
"Wake your friend as well," the leader ordered.
"You're going to kill him aren't you?" Naruto's voice was low, resigned. I almost frowned.
The other man laughed. "After what he's done you still ask? My goodness, Kyuubi, are you that attached to him?"
Naruto didn't answer.
"Not only will he die, but he'll do so quite painfully, I'm afraid. I've lost too many men over this. Were the other groups taken care of?" he asked one of his underlings.
"We couldn't capture them, but they've stopped attacking," someone answered.
"Not good enough," the man snapped. I heard him move, and an instant later, a foot connected with my ribs, harshly. I groaned, but caught the man's heel and tugged, hoping I could make him lose his balance. Sadly, he fled from my grip and backed away as two of his men seized me and forced me to straighten.
"Fool," he snapped, hitting me across the face once my arms were securely held behind me. "Do you even know who I am?"
I lifted my head defiantly, staring, unblinking, into his eyes. "Trash, as far as I'm concerned."
Naruto biting his lip was the last thing I saw before a second blow sent me to the ground. The two men rushed to my side in order to keep me from fleeing. I could feel something warm slide down the side of my face, but my nose and mouth were still intact.
"I'm the leader of the Akatsuki," the man standing above me growled. "Your life span depends solely on my personal whim, so I suggest you start watching your mouth."
I snorted. "I think I'd rather die right now."
To my surprise, he laughed. "You Uchihas are all the same," he told me with a cynical chuckle. "Too proud for your own good. I'm sure you remember what happened to your parents."
I forced myself to shrug. Keeping my voice under control was much harder. "If you've already encountered members of my clan, then you should know how to deal with me."
"Don't worry about that," he said, amused. "I know how to tame the likes of you." He moved, and something slashed against my face. Blinking away pain, I shook my buzzing head, faintly noticing blood now flowed freely from the wound that had formed upon my cheekbone. "You all act as though you own everything you touch," the man spat. "The Jinchuurikis belong to me! Their bodies are mine to touch alone! Anyone who defies that rule will die!"
"Really?" I forced out. "So you're a pedophile as well as a psychopath?"
"You're an idiot," he remarked. "You'll be screaming your lungs out before the end of the day, and all you're trying to do is provoke me."
I snorted, but hardly felt amused. Kakashi and Neji had most likely been drawn away, and had no means of knowing where we were. We needed time. "Sadly, I'm realizing it's not working. How does it feel to have half of your minions taken down by the Uchiha police force?"
"Your little soldiers have barely done any damage," the man sneered. "You're dreaming if you think they can overtake anything bigger than our local coffee shop."
"I know this sounds just like the crappy movies,"a voice drawled from the darkness. "But guess again." Bullets suddenly rained down on the men surrounding the three of us, and Naruto hurried to my side, shielding my body with his.
"It's our side, idiot," I sighed, hating how weak my voice was.
"And the other side will start shooting back any moment now," he growled back. "Where's that silver stick of yours?"
"Are you trying to be funny?" I asked, wiping my face as I got to my feet. "How am I supposed to know where they put it?"
"Uchiha!" Neji appeared in front of me, and glanced at Naruto quickly before handing me the aforementioned weapon. "Get yourselves out of here now! Kakashi's been wanting to kill the two of you for the past hour" -so they'd gotten time to find us. Still, it was fast- "and if this keeps up he's going to have his wish granted in no ti-" A man collided into his side, and the two of them rolled on the ground.
To my surprise, Naruto grabbed the wakizashi's hilt and hurried over, plunging the blade into the attacker's side. He howled, and Neji shoved him away.
"Uzumaki, get over here!" I heard myself shout, noticing the Akatsuki's leader attempt a discreet escape.
Naruto's eyes flew to the direction I had been pointing at, and he let out a hateful snarl, following me towards the man. The latter accelerated as soon as he realized we were following, removing a gun from his belt and aiming in our direction.
"Now, I don't think that's to be tolerated," the same drawling voice said ahead of us. "Didn't you learn not to shoot Uchihas? It's way too much paperwork if you hit them."
Kakashi stood, in front of a entire unit of my men, each of their guns aiming at our prey. The leader froze, and Naruto stepped up to him, armed hand raised, placing the wakizashi's tip at the base of his throat. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment, you bastard," he whispered poisonously.
"There's no way this is over," his captive spat. "All of the leaders are here; you can't possibly defeat us all-"
"It depends which way you count." Kakashi stepped closer, stretching his neck. "We've had help."
"You shouldn't let someone who can hack into your software hate you this much," I added, pointing my thumb at Naruto. Stepping closer to the younger man, I placed a firm hand on his shoulder. He shivered under my touch, but seeing the leader's furious glare, his free hand snaked behind him, reaching for mine. Our fingers locked defiantly, and my other arm lowered from his shoulder to wrap around his waist. "It's over," I told him in an angry voice, glaring at the man in front of us. "It's all over."
Kakashi took this time to handcuff the fulminating man, a half smile plastered on his face.
Naruto lowered the wakizashi, and turned around to give me what he deemed to be a proper hug. I tightened my hold on him, pressing my forehead on his shoulder, suddenly exhausted.
"Hey," the blond suddenly whispered. I looked up, and realized I had put blood all over his shirt. "What were you talking about back then? The getting help part."
I frowned. "You gave us all the information on the Akatsuki to Kakashi," I said. "You sent him a mail."
"I don't even know who the guy is," Naruto replied. "Wait. Hatake Kakashi? He's the one who did research on-"
"Me." My body literally jolted in surprise as a voice I hadn't heard in slightly less than a decade echoed in the small alleyway. It couldn't be. It couldn't-
Uchiha Itachi stepped into the dim light, smiling as dryly as he used to, years ago. Naruto caught my shoulders as I turned, making me realize my entire body was shaking. The man walked towards me, stopping just out of my arm's reach. "Good evening, little brother."
This wasn't real. My brother had vanished from the face of the earth, he couldn't just reappear now-
"I don't see why you're so surprised," the blond behind me said softly. "You guessed I knew where he was, remember?"
"Let...go." It was hard to speak. Even harder to take a step forward, and reach out to touch the man in front of me. My trembling fingers rose to touch my brother's face, just to make sure he was real. Itachi didn't move, allowing the digits to slide against his cheek, his face remaining perfectly impassive. It was strange; I remembered my brother used to tower over me, and now he was only several centimeters taller than I was.
Kakashi cleared his throat. "I hadn't been lying about the mail, you know," he remarked. "Without your brother's help we'd never have pulled this off."
"My sources tell me your were getting quite attached to the kit," Itachi added, a small grin forming on his face. "And since I've always had your best interest at heart..."
"Liar." My common sense was slowly returning to my brain, and the anger I had accumulated during the years suddenly surfaced back. "You fled our clan like a coward, without giving any indication you were even alive. You didn't even come back when Mother and Father got killed -you couldn't have missed it, it was all over the news- and now you have the nerve to show up as a member of this group, this-" Itachi's sigh stopped me. Turning towards the detective, he shrugged.
"I told you this wasn't going to work."
I stared. "You were- You know each other?"
Kakashi gave me an odd look. "I never told you why I had stopped looking for your brother?" At my frown, he sighed, echoing Itachi. "You were in no state to hear his excuses at the time," he explained. "He knew you were searching for him and contacted me. After that, there was no reason to keep pretending I was still looking for someone I had found. So I quit."
"Excuses?" I repeated, disbelieving. "Does he have any?"
"One," Itachi replied, and to my surprise, his voice was suddenly angry. "I befriended the wrong people." He jerked his head in the captive man's direction.
"Your brother became friends with heirs of Yakuza groups without knowing it," Kakashi explained. "He learned that small detail a wee bit late, and was already too involved in their business when he realized. They couldn't let him go, and he wasn't powerful enough to destroy the entire group at the time, so he played nice until his own minions were numerous enough. He kept an eye on you in case anything happened."
"The incident with our parents was regrettable," Itachi said darkly. "And I'm afraid it's my fault. I had starting acting...reckless, and the Akatsuki decided it was time to put me back into place. I'm truly sorry for this."
I shook my head. "You always hated Father and Mother." I hadn't realized how true my words were until my mouth uttered them. But there was no denying them.
"You didn't," Itachi replied evenly. "You're the one who suffered the most from this fiasco. And that hurt me."
Hands that had been shyly holding to mine suddenly firmed and pushed me towards my brother. "Your pasts are both complete shit," Naruto said matter-of-factly. "Forget them, forgive him and go hug each other." He did not let go of my hand completely, but forced me into Itachi's arms nonetheless. As my brother hesitantly pressed me against his body, I realized something. I had actually missed him. Unbelievable.
"Damn, Itachi," I growled, "why couldn't you at least call-"
"Once you get inside the mafia, it's hard to get anything out, little brother. I'm sure you little fox made you understand that."
"I'm not a fox, sir," Naruto grumbled behind me. "I thought the whole Jinchuuriki thing was over."
"You will remain a fox to me." Itachi's voice resumed its amused tone as he pushed me out of his arms and into the blond's. "Here you go," he added with a smirk. "Take good care of my baby brother."
"I'll try." Blue eyes suddenly glinted with mischief, meeting Itachi's coal black squarely. The two of them smiled, and a feeling of doom slowly began to creep up on me.
"Not that I'm bored, but this isn't the best place to talk." Kakashi stifled a yawn as he beckoned us over. "Why don't we join that charming Haruno girl? Now that Yamanaka is with her, they make up a truly beautiful pair." Itachi was the closest. He cuffed the detective lightly over the head, but headed out of the alley nonetheless. We all followed, when a thought suddenly entered my mind.
"How did you keep an eye on me?" I asked Itachi. "I met Naruto less then a month ago."
"Jinchuurikis weren't under anyone's orders but the big boss, little brother," Itachi replied. "I sent someone else to watch over you, of course. I was afraid he might get spotted when the kit foolishly revealed they knew each other" -Naruto ducked his head sheepishly- "but it seems you forgot about that little slip of tongue."
I frowned, replaying the past weeks rapidly inside my mind. Then it hit me. "Nara?" I asked, dumfounded. "Nara Shikamaru?"
"Well, he knew how to keep a low profile, without getting sacked, so I figured he was adequate. I was told you let him play with the company's finance. He sounded thrilled when he told me."
"As thrilled as Shika can sound," Naruto added with a shrug. "He was just happy to work with Yamanaka."
The girl came into view as the blond pronounced her name, standing beside Sakura and Neji, pale but apparently unharmed.
"The place is secured," the Hyuuga told Kakashi. "The ladies are safe, and we've got no deaths to repo-" He stopped in mid-sentence as he noticed Itachi, immediately raising his gun in my brother's direction.
"Neji, put that thing down," I ordered. "It's fine."
He obeyed unwillingly. "Are you certain, sir?" he asked between gritted teeth.
"I'm glad to see you remain loyal to the Uchiha clan," Itachi said. "Hyuuga Neji, right? I was told you did an honorable job."
"You're no longer an Uchiha to me, Itachi," the younger man growled. "You've done too much damage to your clan to claim its name."
"And I won't," was the steady reply. "We agree on that matter, at least." Turning towards the white-haired detective, Itachi added, "Would you mind if I stayed at your place? Until I reinsert myself on the legal side of society, in the least."
Kakashi's answer escaped me; my attention was suddenly focused on the blond, whose clutch had suddenly tightened. "Those two already live together," he accused sternly. "I'd bet my iphone on that."
"Naruto, my brother's private life isn't yet my concern," I growled. "As happy as I am to see him again, I'd like it to remain that way."
He laughed. A small sound into the night, his blue eyes shinning as we walked away from our past.
End
So...How was that? Too quick in the end? Too blurry (hope not)? Re-reading this, I hear Sasuke speak with a British accent. Really, how weird is that? So, again, sorry for making you guys wait, and reviews are greatly appreciated. Please?
